Air quality and climate

The Earth's atmosphere is a giant and complex chemical reactor. We strive to quantify how the atmosphere is changing due to human activity and to predict how these changes will affect the environment and society.

We study the multitude of physical and chemical processes that occur in the atmosphere, with a focus on particulate matter. Students in our research groups:

  • design and build sensitive instrumentation
  • run laboratory experiments mimicking the atmosphere
  • run regional and global climate models
  • use observations collected from diverse locations around the planet and from satellites orbiting Earth

Sample research projects

  • Dominic Casalnuovo; instrument used to measure air quality

    Dominic Casalnuovo

    Dominic Casalnuovo's research focuses on determining how sulfuric acid forms particles in the upper boundary layer. He is developing a novel, compact, battery-operated instrument to measure atmospheric sulfuric acid vapor where clouds form in the atmosphere. Casalnuovo's goal is to use these measurements to help reduce the uncertainty in how aerosols influence climate in global Earth-system models.

    Advisor: Coty Jen

  • Eric Giuffrida; Simulated smoke plume transport in the South East Atlantic

    Eric Giuffrida

    Eric Giuffrida's research involves simulating smoke episodes over the Southeast Atlantic Ocean using a climate model to disentangle and quantify radiative effects associated with smoke aerosol-cloud interactions. Aerosol-cloud interactions represent one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate models today. Giuffrida is further exploring and quantifying structural uncertainties inherent to the model and uncertainties associated with how radiative effects are calculated.

    Advisor: Hamish Gordon

    Image caption: Simulated smoke plume transport in the South East Atlantic

  • Christine Troller

    Christine Troller

    Christine Troller's research bridges knowledge gaps between microalgae emissions, atmospheric nucleation reactions, cloud formation, and climate change. Troller also has been investigating potential inhalation hazards from emissions produced by freshwater harmful algae blooms in the local PA region.

    Advisor: Coty Jen

  • Victor Alejandro Sanchez

    Victor Alejandro Sanchez

    Victor Alejandro Sanchez studies the radiative effects of aerosols released into the atmosphere by fires in Southern Africa. His work focuses on building emulators for a climate model using machine learning and then using these emulators to comprehensively sample and evaluate the model's parameter space when simulating these fires.

    Advisor: Hamish Gordon

    • Air quality and climate faculty

    Peter Adams

    Peter Adams

    Thomas Lord Professor
    Civil & Environmental Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy

    Full profile

    Neil Donahue

    Neil Donahue

    Thomas Lord Professor
    Chemical Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy, Chemistry

    Full profile

    Hamish Gordon

    Hamish Gordon

    Assistant Professor
    Chemical Engineering

    Full profile

    Coty Jen

    Coty Jen

    Assistant Professor
    Chemical Engineering

    Full profile

    Related news

    An above-the-field campaign

    In Oklahoma, the Jen Lab attached an instrument they designed and built to a tethered balloon, measuring sulfuric acid in the atmosphere.

    Measuring ocean air to understand clouds and climate

    In the lab and in the field, Coty Jen is studying marine phytoplankton emissions and their impact on atmospheric chemistry.

    From fridge to lunchbox: Measuring sulfuric acid in the air

    Coty Jen received a grant to commercialize a smaller and less expensive instrument that will enable the research community to start monitoring urban sulfuric acid concentrations more widely.

    Predicting air pollution effects on the weather

    Researchers designed a setup of the global climate model that adds the capability to simulate air pollutants in simulations like weather forecasts.

    Teachers turned researchers

    Two local high school teachers spent a month as researchers in the Jen Lab, part of a pilot program to help increase atmospheric chemistry and climate change literacy.

    Quantifying that pond smell Opens in new window

    Researchers are partnering with the PA Department of Environmental Protection to determine if emissions from harmful algal blooms could be unsafe to breathe.

    Decarbonizing industry with 3D-printed stacked columns Opens in new window

    Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are exploring ways to reduce emissions from power plants using post-combustion carbon capture via absorption through additively manufactured stacked columns.

    Donahue receives AAAR David Sinclair Award

    Carnegie Mellon University’s Neil Donahue, the Thomas Lord Professor in Chemical Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy, and Chemistry Director of the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research, has been named the American Association for Aerosol Research’s (AAAR) 2022 David Sinclair Award recipient.

    Explore Other Research Topics

    Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies

    The Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies strives to be world leaders in science, engineering, and policy covering the full role of fine particulate matter in the atmosphere

    Learn more