Herrick studies the incidence and genomics of foodborne pathogens, such as Salmonella, in the environment, particularly streams and rivers. He has a special interest in the transmission of antibiotic resistance among bacteria. He is co-director of the Center for Genome and Metagenome Studies (CGEMS) at JMU.
He received his doctorate in microbiology from Cornell University and did postdoctoral research at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. He also has bachelor's and master's degrees from Brigham Young University.