Specifically, Lichtwardt focused his research on species of Enterobryus. Enterobryus species are millipede gut-associated microorganisms that were confirmed as non-fungal protists in 2005, but share morphological traits with the fungal trichomycetes. Collections of millipede hosts used in Lichtwardt's thesis research were made at the University of Michigan Biological Station, Douglas Lake, Michigan, the Highlands Biological Station, Highlands, North Carolina, and from Champaign County, Illinois  While taking an undergraduate course in field biology at Oberlin, Lichtwardt met his future wife Betty Thomas. They were married in 1951 and have two children  Career  Lichtwardt was among the first to receive the newly-offered post-doctoral fellowships from the National Science Foundation in 1954. He used the funds to pursue field work in Panama and the Amazon region of Brazil. Up to that point, trichomycete collections had been made almost entirely from Europe and North America and Lichtwardt was motivated to discover more about the diversity and biogeography of trichomycetes in the tropics. In 1955 he obtained a post-doctoral position at the University of Iowa that was offered for three years, but after two years he left to accept a position as an assistant professor at the University of Kansas where he spent the remainder of his career. He rose quickly to associate professor in 1960 and then professor in 1965. He twice served as chairman of the Department of Botany: 1971–74 and 1981–84. He officially retired at the end of 1995 and has served as professor emeritus since that time.
Specifically, Lichtwardt focused his research on species of Enterobryus. Enterobryus species are millipede gut-associated microorganisms that were confirmed as non-fungal protests in 2005, but share morphological traits with the fungal trichomycetes. Collections of millipede hosts used in Lichtwardt thesis research were made at the University of Michigan Biological Station, Douglas Lake, Michigan, the Highlands Biological Station, Highlands, North Carolina, and from Champaign County, Illinois
 While taking an undergraduate course in field biology at Oberlin, Lichtwardt met his future wife Betty Thomas. They were married in 1951 and have two children
 Career 
Lichtwardt was among the first to receive the newly-offered post-doctoral fellowships from the National Science Foundation in 1954. She used the funds to pursue field work in Panama and the Amazon region of Brazil. Up to that point, trichomycetes collections had been made almost entirely from Europe and North America and Lichtwardt was motivated to discover more about the diversity and biogeography of trichomycetes in the tropics. In 1955 he obtained a post-doctoral position at the University of Iowa that was offered for three years, but after two years he left to accept a position as an assistant professor at the University of Kansas where he spent the remainder of his career. He rose quickly to associate professor in 1960 and then professor in 1965. He twice served as chairman of the Department of Botany: 1971–74 and 1981–84. He officially retired at the end of 1995 and has served as professor emeritus since that time.