2001-2006 D.Phil. University of Oxford and the Natural History Museum, London

2000-2001 M.Sc. Integrative Bioscience, University of Oxford

1996-1999 B.Sc. Human Sciences, University College, London Career

2013-ongoing Senior Research Fellow, University of Exeter

2010-2013 Band III Researcher, Natural History Museum, London

2007-2009 Research Fellow, (Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship), University of Exeter

2006-2007 DEFRA funded postdoctoral research assistant, University of Exeter

The primary focus of my research is to determine the evolutionary relationships of the eukaryotes and the cellular and genomic innovations associated with the emergence and diversification of the eukaryotic cell.

My research uses:

1) Comparative genomics and phylogenetics to understand the evolution of the eukaryotes

2) Environmental DNA experiments to fill gaps in our current understanding of eukaryotic diversity and the eukaryotic phylogeny

We are currently focusing on diversification of the fungal traits, the role of horizontal gene transfer and developing model systems for understanding endosymbiosis in the eukaryotes

Richards TA, Chambouvet A, Leonard G (In Press). Cryptic infection of a broad taxonomic and geographic diversity of tadpoles by Perkinsea protists. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, In press Abstract. Full text. Richards TA, Chambouvet A (2016). A role for fungi as parasites in the black box of marine trophic interactions. Environ Microbiol Rep, 8(4), 429-430. Abstract. Author URL. Article has an altmetric score of 2 Richards TA, Monier A (2016). A tale of two tardigrades. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 113(18), 4892-4894. Author URL. Article has an altmetric score of 22 Orsi WD, Smith JM, Liu S, Liu Z, Sakamoto CM, Wilken S, Poirier C, Richards TA, Keeling PJ, Worden AZ, et al (2016). Diverse, uncultivated bacteria and archaea underlying the cycling of dissolved protein in the ocean. ISME J, 10(9), 2158-2173. Abstract. Author URL. Article has an altmetric score of 31 Chambouvet A, Valigurová A, Mesquita L, Richards TA, Jirku M (2016). Nematopsis temporariae (Gregarinasina, Apicomplexa, Alveolata) intracellular infectious agent of tadpole livers. Environ Microbiol Rep Abstract. Author URL. Full text. Article has an altmetric score of 2 Monier A, Worden AZ, Richards TA (2016). Phylogenetic diversity and biogeography of the Mamiellophyceae lineage of eukaryotic phytoplankton across the oceans. Environ Microbiol Rep, 8(4), 461-469. Abstract. Author URL. Article has an altmetric score of 6 Avelar GM, Glaser T, Leonard G, Richards TA, Ulrich H, Gomes SL (2015). A Cyclic GMP-Dependent K+ Channel in the Blastocladiomycete Fungus Blastocladiella emersonii. Eukaryot Cell, 14(9), 958-963. Abstract. Author URL. Article has an altmetric score of 2 Avelar GM, Glaser T, Leonard G, Richards TA, Ulrich H, Gomes SL (2015). A cyclic GMP-dependent K⁺ channel in the blastocladiomycete fungus Blastocladiella emersonii. Eukaryotic Cell, 14(9), 958-963. Abstract. Article has an altmetric score of 2 Orsi WD, Richards TA, Santoro AE (2015). Cellular maintenance processes that potentially underpin the survival of subseafloor fungi over geological timescales. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 164, A1-A9. Abstract. del Campo J, Mallo D, Massana R, de Vargas C, Richards TA, Ruiz-Trillo I (2015). Diversity and distribution of unicellular opisthokonts along the European coast analysed using high-throughput sequencing. Environmental Microbiology Abstract. Article has an altmetric score of 8 del Campo J, Mallo D, Massana R, de Vargas C, Richards TA, Ruiz-Trillo I (2015). Diversity and distribution of unicellular opisthokonts along the European coast analysed using high-throughput sequencing. Environmental Microbiology, 17(9), 3195-3207. Abstract. Article has an altmetric score of 8 Richards TA, Leonard G, Mahé F, Del Campo J, Romac S, Jones MD, Maguire F, Dunthorn M, De Vargas C, Massana R, et al (2015). Molecular diversity and distribution of marine fungi across 130 European environmental samples. Proc Biol Sci, 282(1819). Abstract. Author URL. Full text. Article has an altmetric score of 36 Richards TA, Gomes SL (2015). Protistology: How to build a microbial eye. Nature, 523(7559), 166-167. Author URL. Article has an altmetric score of 72 Savory F, Leonard G, Richards TA (2015). The role of horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of the oomycetes. PLoS Pathog, 11(5). Author URL. Article has an altmetric score of 25 Avelar GM, Schumacher RI, Zaini PA, Leonard G, Richards TA, Gomes SL (2014). A rhodopsin-guanylyl cyclase gene fusion functions in visual perception in a fungus. Curr Biol, 24(11), 1234-1240. Abstract. Author URL. Full text. Article has an altmetric score of 18 Orsi WD, Richards TA, Santoro AE (2014). Cellular maintenance processes that potentially underpin the survival of subseafloor fungi over geological timescales. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science Abstract. Maguire F, Henriquez FL, Leonard G, Dacks JB, Brown MW, Richards TA (2014). Complex patterns of gene fission in the eukaryotic folate biosynthesis pathway. Genome Biol Evol, 6(10), 2709-2720. Abstract. Author URL. Article has an altmetric score of 4 Chambouvet A, Berney C, Romac S, Audic S, Maguire F, De Vargas C, Richards TA (2014). Diverse molecular signatures for ribosomally 'active' Perkinsea in marine sediments. BMC Microbiology, 14(1). Abstract. Article has an altmetric score of 12 Chambouvet A, Berney C, Romac S, Audic S, Maguire F, De Vargas C, Richards TA (2014). Diverse molecular signatures for ribosomally 'active' Perkinsea in marine sediments. BMC Microbiol, 14 Abstract. Author URL. Article has an altmetric score of 12 Sebe-Pedros A, Grau-Bove X, Richards TA, Ruiz-Trillo I (2014). Evolution and Classification of Myosins, a Paneukaryotic Whole-Genome Approach. GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION, 6(2), 290-305.