Richard G. Luthy is the Silas H. Palmer Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He was the Director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Re-inventing the Nation’s Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), a four-university consortium that seeks more sustainable solutions to urban water challenges in the arid west.

His area of teaching and research is environmental engineering and water quality with applications to water reuse, stormwater use, and systems-level analysis of our urban water challenges. His research addresses management of persistent organic contaminants and contaminants of emerging concern in natural systems that are engineered to improve water quality and protect the environment and human health.

Professor Luthy is a past chair of the National Research Council's Water Science and Technology Board and a former President of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. He chaired the NRC's Committee on the Beneficial Use of Stormwater and Graywater. He is a registered professional engineer, a board certified environmental engineer, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.