Dr. Pepper is currently Professor at the University of Arizona. He is also Director of the University of Arizona, National Science Foundation Water & Environmental Technology Center (WET), and Co-Director of the new Water and Energy Sustainable Technology Center known as WEST. Dr. Pepper is an environmental microbiologist whose research has focused on the fate and transport of pathogens in air, water, soils and wastes. More recently he has developed the University of Arizona, Real-Time Sensor Laboratory for the detection of emerging contaminants in water.  His expertise has been recognized by membership on 6 National Academy of Science Committees. Dr. Pepper is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology, the Soil Science Society of America, and the American Society of Agronomy. He is also a Board Certified Environmental Scientist within the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. He is the author or co-author of eight textbooks; 40 book chapters; and over 163 peer-review journal articles.