AMSG Member Bios

Role

• Professor and lab director, Storm Peak Laboratory, University of Utah

Education

• PhD, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, 2003
• MS, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, 2001
• BA, Physics, Truman State University, 1999

Research Interests

Our research group uses high-quality measurements of aerosol physical and chemical properties, trace gases, and cloud microphysics to understand connections between the atmosphere, biosphere, and climate, along with the impact of anthropogenic emissions on these connections. Via this work, we study the meteorology of air quality, specifically integrating theory and observations of meteorological phenomena on spatial scales ranging from mesoscale to synoptic.

Professional Experience

I attended a very small rural high school in central Missouri, where I was inspired by the beauty of math, through a physics class provided by the University of Oklahoma on a videocassette recorder. I also discovered my love of the mountains and skiing via a few family trips to Colorado in high school. I then attended a liberal arts college in northern Missouri, Truman State University, and completed a bachelor’s degree in physics. During college, I also had an internship at the National Weather Service office near my childhood farm and really only enjoyed fixing the broken equipment. These experiences led me to the University of Colorado, where I received my MS and PhD in atmospheric sciences. During my graduate work, I took atmospheric measurements around the world, including a winter experience in Antarctica. After graduate school, I accepted a postdoctoral research position as a National Research Council Fellow at NASA Ames in California. In this position, I traveled to a remote island in the Indian Ocean to study air pollution. I then joined the Desert Research Institute as director of Storm Peak Laboratory, a high-elevation atmospheric science laboratory in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Storm Peak Laboratory has undergone major changes under my leadership over the last 15 years, including new instrumentation, new research foci, new field courses, and a significant building expansion. I am now a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Utah, where I lead the Hallar Aerosol Research Team (HART). My path has been possible due to two strong mentors, Dr. Maria Di Stefano at Truman State and Dr. Linnea Avallone at the University of Colorado. I am the mother of three children, Snow (7) and Rio (6), and the stepmom to Ocean (22), and happily married to my partner in life and research, Ian McCubbin.

Role

• Principal Scientist and Director of Center for Sensor Systems and Technology, Aerodyne Research Inc.

Education

• PhD, Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, 1999
• BA, Chemistry, Carleton College, 1993

Research Interests

My research interests include studying the physical, chemical, and optical properties of carbonaceous aerosols, especially emitted from combustion sources (biomass burning, diesel engines, gasoline vehicles, and jet aircraft), and the transformations of these aerosols as they are transported through the atmosphere.

Professional Experience

My involvement with DOE science programs is extensive. I started as a Science and Engineering Research Semester (SERS) participant at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as an undergraduate and was an Alexander Holländer Postdoctoral Fellow at Brookhaven National Laboratory. More recently, I have been involved with ASR and ARM programs through co-leading ASR-funded black carbon laboratory studies at Boston College with professor Paul Davidovits, participating in ARM-funded projects (e.g., BBOP and LASIC), developing new instrumentation through the DOE SBIR program, participating in DOE workshops and reviews, and as a member of the AMSG.

Role

• Laboratory Fellow, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

Education

• PhD, Meteorology, Iowa State University, 1990
• MS, Meteorology, Iowa State University, 1987
• BS, Meteorology and Mathematics, Iowa State University, 1985

Research Interests

My primary research interest is to improve our understanding of the wide range of coupled processes that occur within the atmospheric boundary layer. This includes outstanding issues associated with land-atmosphere-cloud interactions, atmospheric transport and dispersion, the life cycle of trace gases and particulates, and the effects of complex terrain. While I’m primarily a local- (LES) to regional-scale (mesoscale) modeler, synthesis of measurements and modeling is an important aspect of my research approach.

Professional Experience

I am currently the principal investigator of the Integrated Cloud, Land-surface, and Aerosol System Study (ICLASS) Science Focus Area at PNNL and am contributing to Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) and wind energy efforts. The ICLASS team performs research on land-atmosphere-cloud interactions, transitions in cloud populations, the evolution of carbonaceous aerosol populations, and aerosol-cloud-interactions relevant to the ASR program. I have also led, participated, and helped design the instrument strategy for eight major field campaigns supported by ARM and previous DOE programs. I am also an NCAR Affiliate Scientist within the Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling (ACOM) division.

No bio provided.

Role

• Atmospheric scientist, Aerosol Observing Systems and Science Group Lead, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York
• ARM Aerosol Observing System (AOS) lead mentor

Education

• PhD, University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras, 1998
• MS, University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras, 1994
• BS, University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras, 1989

Research Interests

My research interests are in the temporal and spatial variability of atmospheric aerosols; aerosol composition and sources (African dust, biomass burning, marine, urban, biogenic aerosols); carbonaceous aerosols (organic and black carbon); aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions; and air quality.

Professional Experience

I started my career as an atmospheric scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz and at the University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras. During that time, I was involved in numerous field projects [e.g., INDOEX (Indian Ocean), LBA (Brazil), RICO (Caribbean), Puerto Rico African Dust and Cloud Study, Aerosol and Cloud Analysis System (Puerto Rico)]. I was also the director of two atmospheric observatories in Puerto Rico [Cape San Juan (CSJ) and the Pico del Este (PDE) cloud forest station], field stations that are similar in form, size, and complexity to ARM AOS and have the same fundamental design as the ARM AOS. The CSJ station has been in continuous operation since 2004, with the exception of a 10-month gap following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in September 2017. While at Puerto Rico, in 2018, I received an ARM SeaTainer through an ARM IOP proposal to return CSJ back to full operation. Currently I am the lead of the Aerosol Observing Systems and Science Group at the Brookhaven National Laboratory and the ARM AOS lead mentor. I am also a member of the International Commission on Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution (iCACGP) and of the WMO GAW Scientific Advisory Group on Aerosols.

No bio provided.

Role

• Research Scientist, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

Education

• PhD, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Tech, 2011
• MS, Chemical Engineering, Bucknell University, 2006
• BS, Chemical Engineering, Bucknell University, 2004

Research Interests

My research focuses on making airborne measurements to improve our understanding of atmospheric aerosols and their effects on air quality, clouds, and climate. Relevant NASA field campaigns include measurements of wildfire smoke (FIREX-AQ), marine aerosols and clouds (NAAMES and ACTIVATE), and urban air quality (ASIA-AQ). A recent research focus has been to understand the role of sustainable aviation fuels in reducing the formation of climate-altering contrail cirrus clouds, which blends NASA’s Aeronautics and Earth Science subject matter expertise.

Professional Experience

I joined NASA Langley in 2012 as a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow and was hired as a civil servant research scientist in 2014 to support the Langley Aerosol Research Group (LARGE) and the Langley High-Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) Group. I’m also actively involved in the NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program for developing suborbital sensors and instruments for Earth Science measurements. I’ve authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal papers and been recognized with a NASA Early Career Achievement Medal, an Editor’s Citation for Excellence in Refereeing from the Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres, and recently by a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), which is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers.

Role

• Professor, North Carolina State University, Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences

Education

• PhD, Atmospheric Science, University of Wyoming, 2004
• MS, Soil Science, University of Wyoming, 2000

Research Interests

Markus Petters is a professor of atmospheric science at North Carolina State University. His group researches areas spanning instrument development, laboratory measurements, field observations, and process-level model development. He serves on the editorial advisory board for the journal Aerosol Science and Technology and is one of the editors of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. He received the Kenneth T. Whitby Award for contributions to aerosol science and technology awarded by the American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR) in 2015. Prof. Petters has published 105 peer-reviewed publications that have been cited over 11,000 times.

Professional Experience

I started my career as a PhD student at the University of Wyoming by performing CCN measurements on the NCAR C-130 and UWyo King Air aircrafts. After my PhD, I joined the Kreidenweis group at Colorado State University, where I was involved in laboratory and field studies including aerosol hygroscopic growth, CCN, and ice-nucleating particle measurements. In 2009, I received a call to serve on the faculty at NC State University. There my group developed a new cold stage for measuring ice-nucleating particle concentrations, a humidified tandem DMA for measurements at high RH, the dual tandem DMA method for measuring viscosity, and an eddy covariance system for particle flux measurements. In addition to laboratory studies and local field campaigns, my group participated in several multi-investigator field campaigns, including SOAS, IPHeX, CalWater 2, the Fifth Ice Nucleation Workshop campaigns at AIDA and Storm Peak Laboratory, and the recently completed ARM TRACER campaign in Houston, Texas.

No bio provided.

Role

• Professor, Atmospheric Chemistry, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego

Education

• PhD, Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology
• BS, Chemical Engineering, Stanford University

Research Interests

My research is in aerosol particle chemistry, including the behavior of particles from both biogenic and combustion processes. My research group pursues both modeling and measurement studies of atmospheric aerosols, using the combination of these approaches to advance our understanding of fundamental processes that affect atmospheric aerosols. At Scripps, I led the Climate Sciences Curricular Group for more than a decade, from 2009 to 2021.

Professional Experience

My postdoctoral work as part of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Advanced Studies Program investigated aerosol and trace gas flux and entrainment in the marine boundary layer. I served on the faculty of Princeton University in the Department of Chemical Engineering before accepting my position at Scripps in 2003. I have been honored with young investigator awards from ONR, NASA, Dreyfus Foundation, NSF, and the James S. McDonnell Foundation. And I received the Kenneth T. Whitby Award from AAAR (2003) for my contributions on atmospheric aerosol processes and the Princeton Rheinstein Award for excellence in teaching and scholarship (1998). I was named a fellow of AAAR in 2013 and of AGU in 2017.

Role

• Chemist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

Education

• PhD, Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, 2005
• BS, Chemistry, Ursinus College, 1999

Research Interest

My research focuses on the chemistry and microphysical properties of aerosol particles, particularly secondary organic aerosol (SOA). In my laboratory, we use large Teflon environmental (smog) chambers to simulate SOA formation, growth, aging, and removal under carefully controlled conditions. I also deploy particle and gas-phase mass spectrometers during field missions and analyze the data to better understand the sources of inorganic aerosol and SOA in the ambient atmosphere.

Professional Experience

I joined PNNL in 2008 to design and build the environmental chambers and the laboratory that houses them. I regularly use the chamber to study SOA processes under funding from the ASR program. I’ve deployed an AMS and PTR-MS on DOE’s recently retired G-1 aircraft during multiple ARM field missions, including CARES, BBOP, GoAmazon, TCAP, HI-SCALE, and ACE-ENA. In 2019, I became the aerosol translator for the ARM user facility.

Role

• Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine

Education

• PhD, Environmental Science and Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 2000
• BS, Physics, Harvey Mudd College, 1984

Research Interest

My research interests focus on performing laboratory and field measurements in order to understand and quantify the mechanisms of atmospheric nanoparticle formation and growth. I am the developer of the Thermal Desorption Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TDCIMS), an instrument that can measure the molecular composition of 8 to 50 nm diameter atmospheric aerosol at ambient concentrations.

Professional Experience

After receiving my BS in physics at Harvey Mudd College, I worked for seven years as the head of instrument design at Aerometrics Inc. (now a part of TSI). Following that, I entered the PhD program at Caltech and received my PhD in 2000. From 2000–2015, I was head of the Ultrafine Aerosol Research Group at NCAR. I have extensive overseas research experience as a visiting scientist at Lund University, Sweden (1999); the University of Helsinki (2007); and the University of Eastern Finland (2009–2011).

Role

• Research Associate II, University of Oklahoma’s Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations, supporting the ARM Data Quality Office (DQO)

Education

• MS, Atmospheric Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2015
• BS, Earth Science, Northeastern Illinois University, 2013

Research Interests

My main area of research focuses on measuring the performance of global climate models through model-data comparisons of cloud fraction and aerosol optical depth. By using the CF and AOD of observed MODIS data and global climate model output, I can identify and analyze where global climate models may be lacking. This work has been published in AGU’s Earth and Space Science journal.

Professional Experience

I work to help fulfill the main goal of the ARM DQO, which is to keep an eye on all of ARM’s weather and climate data and make sure that it is of good quality. It is important to provide the most accurate, precise, and reliable data for scientific research. The DQO accomplishes this by writing code that processes the data collected from ARM instruments and creates corresponding plots and metrics in near-real time. This makes it much easier to identify when an instrument is broken and needs to be fixed.

Role

• ARM Instrument Operations Manager, Argonne National Laboratory

Education

• MS, Atmospheric Science, University of North Dakota, 2009
• BS, Atmospheric Science, University of North Dakota, 2007

Research Interests

Being on the infrastructure side of things, I do not have much time for research, but my interests do lie in open-source software (ACT), precipitation (solid and liquid), radar, long-term data analysis, and general data science.

Professional Experience

I received broad expertise in my schooling, working on projects ranging from weather modification, where I would simultaneously operate a polarimetric radar and direct seeding operations alone to supporting NASA’s NPOL radar in Senegal in support of the NASA African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses, to polarimetric radar analysis of snow microphysics. From there, I did a short stint as a systems engineer at NASA IV&V in West Virginia before starting with ARM’s Data Quality Office in 2010.  In working with the previous instrument operations manager (Doug Sisterson) closely over many of those years, it paved the way to my transition into the instrument operations manager position in 2018.

Role

• Earth Research Scientist, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

Education

• PhD, Atmospheric Science, University of Wyoming, 2012
• MS, Atmospheric Science, Chinese Academy of Science, China, 2006
• BS, Physics, Henan University, China, 2003

Research Interest

My research work uses the synergy of multiple remote sensors, including lidars, radars, and radiometers, to study aerosol and cloud processes, with an emphasis on polar mixed-phase clouds, and to retrieve aerosol and cloud macro- and microphysical properties.

Professional Experience

I started my research in atmospheric science at graduate school, working with A-Train satellite remote-sensing measurements. After graduation, I started to use ARM ground-based remote sensing measurements. I also worked as a project manager for Wyoming King Air research aircraft. These experiences motivated me to seek innovative methods of using multisensor, multiplatform observations to study aerosol and cloud processes. Currently I am the ARM translator for the Cloud, Aerosol, and Precipitation Interactions group, working on the development of several ARM value-added products, and the instrument mentor for ARM ceilometers.