OUR PEOPLE
Academic Credentials
- Ph.D., Aquatic Toxicology, Duke University, 1995
- B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Tulsa, 1985
Professional Affiliations
- American Chemical Society
- Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Dr. Rick Bodishbaugh has 22 years of consulting experience, specializing in sediment assessment, ecological risk assessment (ERA) in aquatic and terrestrial systems, and natural resourced damage assessment (NRDA). With primary graduate training in aquatic toxicology and biochemistry, his diverse project experience includes technical leadership of site investigations and resource injury assessments at sites across the country.
Dr. Bodishbaugh has extensive experience with both litigation defense and negotiated settlement of natural resource damage liability, and has provided expert reports and deposition testimony in NRDA cases. Specific areas of technical expertise include fish and wildlife toxicity assessment, resource/habitat equivalency analysis (REA/HEA) for scaling of natural resource injuries, bioavailability of chemical contaminants in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Originally trained as a chemical engineer, he also has 4 years of experience as a geophysical and geochemical engineer in the international offshore oil and gas industry, and is trained and experienced in geophysical surveying and reservoir geology. Dr. Bodishbaugh also has formal training in marine biochemistry, molecular biology, and bioremediation principles.
Dr. Bodishbaugh is experienced in evaluating the effects of contaminated soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediments on ecological receptors. He has conducted assessments of chemical risk at dozens of sites for energy, petrochemical, pulp and paper, manufacturing, and mining industry clients. He is intimately familiar with federal, regional, and various state guidance and standards of practice for ERA under common regulatory frameworks, and has extensive face-to-face negotiation experience with federal and state regulatory agency technical staff across the U.S. He is also experienced in evaluating and interpreting field bioaccumulation and laboratory toxicity bioassay data for use in assessing ecological risk. He is well versed in the environmental toxicology and assessment of metals and persistent organic pollutants, especially PCBs and PAHs.
Dr. Bodishbaugh is experienced in providing technical support in a litigation context. He has extensive NRDA experience, and has helped clients develop defensive and settlement strategies for NRDA claims by federal, state, and tribal trustees at sites in Alaska, California, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He is an expert in the application of REA and HEA, including applications for assessment of groundwater injury. He has worked closely with client legal teams to assess and critically evaluate the technical merits and costs of natural resource liability and settlement options, and has represented industry clients in both formal and informal trustee negotiations, to arrive at rational injury assessments and cost effective, restoration-based compensation options. He has provided deposition testimony on NRD liability for east and west coast clients, and has contributed to numerous expert reports for NRD cases.