The University of Georgia’s latest Regents’ Professors, Andrew Herod and Stephen Trent, presented their globally acknowledged research during the 2025 Charter Lecture on March 26 at the Chapel.
“The two Regents’ Professors joining us today are conducting research that has expanded the limits of their disciplines to foster new fields of exploration and provide innovative solutions to worldwide issues,” stated President Jere W. Morehead in his opening remarks. “They exemplify excellence, aiding the University of Georgia’s ascent among the top research institutions in the country, and we hold deep admiration for their achievements.”
Herod, a Distinguished Research Professor in the geography department at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, showcased his research concerning the relationships among labor, geography, and the circular economy. Trent, a UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor in the infectious diseases department at the College of Veterinary Medicine, elaborated on his laboratory’s initiatives to combat antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics.
Both Herod and Trent were named Regents’ Professors this year in recognition of their groundbreaking and pioneering research. This distinction is the highest level of professorial recognition awarded by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.
Labor, geography, and the circular economy
In his presentation, Herod emphasized the interconnections between locations and occurrences. His latest research investigates how different regions of the world are connected through the processes of product assembly and disassembly and how these international networks influence the global economy.
He used Boeing aircraft assembly as an illustration of these interconnections. Boeing airplanes are assembled in three sites across the United States, yet the individual parts of the company’s jets are manufactured in multiple states and over 10 countries. Simultaneously, global disassembly networks are expanding as manufacturers seek methods to acquire raw materials from recycled goods.
Herod referenced a 2018 report from the World Bank, which estimated that the world produces over 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste each year, a figure projected to increase to 3.4 billion tons annually by 2050. A significant portion of this waste is sent to developing nations in Asia and Africa.
“This is significant because some of these materials harbor substantial amounts of valuable resources,” Herod remarked. “A mobile phone, when collected in large numbers, contains significant quantities of copper, silver, gold, and palladium.”
Once recoverable components are salvaged, Herod indicated they serve as the foundation for new industrial processes. Electronic waste is integrated into new computers and 3D printers; copper and aluminum flow into the construction sector, while platinum and gold enter the jewelry market.
A silent pandemic
Trent referred to antimicrobial resistance as a “silent pandemic” during his presentation. While antibiotics have increased the average lifespan by roughly 25 years since their introduction in the 1940s, he noted that a “perfect storm” of escalating bacterial resistance, improper antibiotic use, and an absence of new drug discovery threatens to reverse those advancements by 2050.
Several studies anticipate that antimicrobial resistance will outpace cancer as a leading cause of death in the next 25 years, claiming around 10 million lives each year. Despite the seriousness of this issue, the number of major pharmaceutical companies engaged in antibiotic research and development plummeted from 18 in 1990 to six in 2020.
“I’ve portrayed this daunting challenge — can we address it? I firmly believe we absolutely can. I have faith in human ingenuity. Just look at how swiftly we developed the COVID vaccine,” Trent stated.
Trent elaborated on his lab’s endeavors to create next-generation antibiotics by identifying methods to target the bacterial cell surface or envelope. Among other findings, his lab has uncovered mechanisms that bacteria utilize to alter their surface to improve their survival in various environments and shield themselves from human immune system attacks.
He mentioned several ways individuals can aid in combating the rise of antimicrobial resistance: advocate for responsible antibiotic usage, support fundamental scientific research, and back agencies like the National Institutes of Health, the largest funder of medical research.
UGA established the Charter Lecture in 1988 to honor the principles expressed in the 1785 charter that established the university as the birthplace of public higher education in the United States. Since 2020, the lecture has provided a platform for the university’s most recent Regents’ Professors to share their scholarship and research. The Charter Lecture is organized by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.
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