Dr. Richard Beard is currently a Assistant Research Professor in the Biomolecular Research Center at Boise State University where he investigates the regulatory mechanisms of endothelial barrier (dys)function in CNS microvessels during homeostasis and neuroinflammation. His research is supported by funding from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Institute of Health (NIH). Prior to this appointment at BSU, he was an Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of South Florida from 2012-2016 were he worked on similar projects aimed at understanding the mechanisms of endothelial barrier dysfunction during aberrant inflammatory responses, such as sepsis and trauma. He received both a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Biology Teaching Methods in 2012 and a Bachelor of Science in Health Education in 2007 from Idaho State University.  Dr. Beard is currently a member of the American Physiological Society, the American Heart Association, and the Microcirculatory Society among several other professional organizations, and is a peer-reviewer for such academic journals as Microcirculation, Scientific Reports, PLoS ONE, and the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism.