Brian Richard

Brian Richard considers himself an “unconventional student.”

Nine years after getting a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the now-defunct New Hampshire Institute of Art, Richard decided to go back to school to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biological sciences from UMass Lowell.

The switch to biology felt natural to Richard, as his love for animals led to a fascination with anatomy.

“I’ve made a lot of animal anatomy paintings that are basically like veterinary illustrations,” says Richard, whose artwork has been displayed in Boston restaurants.

However, it was an unexpected medical diagnosis that propelled Richard into the biological sciences program.

In 2013, Richard was diagnosed with the chronic version of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves.

“I spent a year of my life bedridden,” he says. “I was so bored. I would watch free college videos online on surgeries and anatomy.”

Richard also read as much as he could about the syndrome.

“That’s how I got inspired to do more studying,” he says.

Living in Lowell, UML proved to be a convenient option for Richard. He joined the Department of Biological Sciences in 2017, thinking he would focus on virology or microbiology.

“But once I got to school, I learned that there are way more options in biology,” he says.

Richard found his passion for biomechanics after joining Biological Sciences Asst. Prof. Nicolai Konow’s lab, where he researched rhythmic chewing cycles of animals such as salamanders and lungfish.

“Being able to work with animals and study them, it’s a perfect fit,” says Richard, whose research was published in the scientific journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. “It feels like I’m a zookeeper at the same time that I get to be a scientist.”

Richard obtained a bachelor’s degree from UMass Lowell in December of 2022 and decided to continue with the master’s program partly because the university is on course to reach Research 1 status, the highest level awarded by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

In addition to continuing research in Konow’s lab, Richard is serving as a teaching assistant – a role he felt prepared for after serving as a physics learning assistant and an organic chemistry tutor while an undergraduate.

His goal is to get a doctoral degree and ultimately become a professor to increase the representation of people with disabilities within the field.

“Teaching at the college level is not just something that I want to do, but I feel like I have a calling to do because I am disabled,” says Richard, who used a wheelchair for several years due to his case of Guillain-Barré syndrome. He can now walk, but has a permanent foot drop.

“My ambition is to show people that you can be disabled and be successful,” he adds.

When Richard registered with UMass Lowell’s Disability Services, he learned of a student organization called Disable the Label, which he says is “dear to my heart.” The group’s purpose is to unify and connect students with and without disabilities.

Richard, who identifies as gay, also appreciates that the campus has an LGBTQ+ Resource Center, which he has seen expand throughout his time at UMass Lowell.

“It’s nice knowing that the university celebrates diversity,” he says. “I feel very supported.”

As Richard strives to go from student to professor, he hopes to show younger generations that it’s OK to be who you are.

“I’m very open about my disabilities and my identities,” he says. “I feel visibility on a college campus is important.”