Oerther uses 16S ribosomal RNA-targeted techniques for fundamental studies of the ecology of bacteria in engineered and natural systems.

[1] He promotes transdisciplinarity among engineers, nurses, and sanitarians[2][3][4] to improve access to clean water, nutritious food, and efficient energy use in developing communities.

[7][8][9] Born in Columbus, Ohio, Oerther grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and graduated from Saint Xavier High School.

He earned a Masters of Science (MS) in Environmental Engineering (1998) and a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) (2002) from the University of Illinois.

[13] In 2010, Oerther joined the faculty of the Missouri University of Science and Technology as the John A. and Susan Mathes Endowed Chair of Environmental Engineering.

[15] Mun Choi recognized Oerther with the President's Award for Cross-Cultural Engagement in 2017 and the University of Missouri System's C. Brice Ratchford Fellowship in 2019 for advancing the institution's land grant mission[16] From 2014 to 2019, Oerther was a Foreign Affairs Officer at the United States Department of State in the Secretary's Office of Global Food Security.

Ambassador Nancy Stetson recognized Oerther with a Meritorious Honor Award for his efforts to create COAST.

Oerther was a member of the board of directors and the chief information officer of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (2007-2010).

Oerther co-founded PulaCloud, LLC to bring entry-level jobs in human computation supporting the knowledge-economy to Kenya and to rural Missouri.

Examples of his most-cited articles include: From 2019 through 2023, Oerther was the most prolific author in the Scopus SciVal category of "Sustainable Development; Nurse; Public Health".