As a post-doctoral fellow in the Laboratory for Atmospheric Chemistry at the Paul Scherrer Institute. My research was focused on understanding the impact that aviation emissions have on local air quality. That is, how aircraft engine exhaust at the airport impacts the air quality nearby. To do this, I was part of a team working on the research campaign called Aviation Plume PROPeRtIes AT point of Exposure (APPROPRIATE).Specifically, I focused on understanding how emissions from aircraft engines emit and grow ultrafine particles (UFPs). Ultrafine particles are a class of particulate matter (PM). Alone, PM is a pollutant that has major implications for our health, welfare, and the global climate. One can often see PM, such as dust or smoke in the air. However, UFPs are harder to see because they are about 100 times smaller than a human hair, or the size of a coil of DNA. In all of the experiments related to APPROPRIATE, I used the newest mass spectrometry techniques, such as VOCUS-Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry (VOCUS PTR-MS) and Extractive Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (EESI-MS) to sample hundreds of chemical and aerosol particles that are emitted and formed from aviation activity.

As a member of the Tropospheric Chemistry group at NOAA, I utilized and develop multi-channel cavity ringdown instruments to measure NOx, NO3, N2O5, NOy, and O3 simultaneously on a one-second time scale. These instruments can and have been implemented on various platforms such as the NOAA P-3 aircraft, Twin-Otter aircraft, and the NOAA CSL Mobile-lab (ground vehicle).

I investigated the dark chemistry of wildfire smoke plumes as a PhD Candidate at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through the Cooperative Institute of Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). I'm interested in research at the interface of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.Dark smoke plume chemistry occurs without sunlight, whether it be after sunset or mid-day in the center of a thick and dark smoke plume. Specifically the reactions, and evolution, of the nitrate radical (NO3) with volatile organic compounds in smoke plumes as they are aged and transported. Research into dark smoke plume chemistry is incredibly important for understanding air quality impacts to nearby and far away towns and cities. Yet, it is severely understudied. Most smoke is emitted through the evening and into the night. This means that most smoke plumes will eventually be subject to some, if not all, of dark chemistry. This chemistry determines the impact on air quality that the smoke will have on populated regions.I studied dark smoke plume chemistry through the data we gathered during the NASA & NOAA FIREX-AQ (Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality) campaign in 2019. During FIREX-AQ I worked with the Joel Thornton group from the University of Washington to operate an Iodide Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer aboard the NOAA Twin Otter aircraft. I used a suite of methods to support this research such as box modeling and positive matrix factorization.

I instructed two laboratory sections and two recitation sessions of about 20 first-year undergraduate students each. During recitations, I would reiterate topics covered in the latest lecture and work through problems with students. I was responsible for grading laboratory and recitation work each week. This position helped me build communication and presentation skills for students new to chemistry. At this stage in their college work, most students are undecided on a major, so I worked to relate their lessons to real world examples while making it exciting.

I instructed two laboratory sections of about 10 fourth year undergraduate students each. The laboratory courses were designed to teach students how to operate chemical analysis instrumentation such as gas-chromatography, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, laser-induced fluorescence, etc. I prepared my own grading schemes to grade lab reports and designed some of the lesson plans. This position helped me build demonstration skills for communicating new topics to interested, but lower-level students.

At the Quantitative Resource Center (QRC) I covered all chemistry courses offered at New College of Florida (general, organic, inorganic, and physical)As the chemistry tutor, I worked with walk-in students who were struggling with homework problems or lab report calculations. I worked one on one with each student to tutor them on the general topic surrounding their question and even created other example problems for them to work through.

I held office hours weekly with roughly a dozen mostly second-year undergraduates. In our sessions, I reiterated concepts covered in lectures and worked through homework problems on the board. On a bi-weekly basis, I graded exams with other TAs and the instructor.

As the Scientific Writing Assistant at the New College of Florida Writing Resource Center, I met with students who wanted help with writing scientific lab reports, grant proposals, or honors theses. I worked one on one with students to build grammar and language skills relevant to scientific writing. I also met regularly with a few senior students and acted as a thesis writing coach to keep them motivated and on track.

As a tutor, I helped students in math (Algebra 1 through calculus) and chemistry (general chemistry). In each one-hour session, students came with questions and homework for which I designed example problems that we worked through together. As a teacher, I taught the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) preparation courses. The SAT or ACT are standardized tests used for college entrance in the U.S.A. I held courses daily in which I instructed students on test-taking methods and taught lessons on mathematics and grammar needed for the exams.

In the summer between my 3rd and 4th year at New College of Florida, I accepted an internship at Sandia National Labs (SNL) Combustion Research Facility as part of the Student Undergraduate Laboratory Internship. At SNL I conducted laboratory experiments that lead to my honors thesis and two peer-reviewed publications (one as first author and one as co-author). I worked under the guidance of Dr. Leonid Sheps to determine the kinetics between isoprene and formaldehyde oxide (the simplest criegee intermediate). The existence of Criegee Intermediates (CI) were first hypothesized over 60 years ago and were believed to be an important reactive molecule in atmospheric chemistry. Only recently were Criegee Intermediates detected in a laboratory allowing for direct study of their importance in the atmosphere. The impact of CI chemistry is currently being incorporated into atmospheric models. Isoprene accounts for the largest share of all biogenic emissions around the globe and is also a building block of larger volatile organic compounds. We report direct measurements of the reaction of the simplest CI (CH2OO) with isoprene, using time-resolved cavity-enhanced UV absorption spectroscopy. We describe the pressure independent and temperature dependent rate coefficient. We also perform quantum chemical and transition-state theory calculations of 16 unique channels for CH2OO + isoprene This works provides the building block required to incorporate CI and isoprene reactions into global atmospheric chemistry models. This work has so far been cited by 17 papers. My role included all laboratory data collection and analysis as well as performing quantum chemical calculations with assistance from co-authors. Most figures and writing are my own with some writing and figures provided by co-authors.

In the summer between my 2nd and 3rd year at New College of Florida, I accepted a research internship at West Virginia University (WVU). At WVU I conducted nanoparticle research aimed to improve the efficiency of catalytic converters for modern vehicles under the guidance of Dr. Fabien Goulay. Modern vehicles use catalytic converters to scrub car exhaust of toxic pollutants like carbon monoxide (CO). Catalytic converters utilize nanoparticles to catalytically convert toxic molecules to less dangerous molecules. I conducted research to investigate bimetallic nanoparticles as an alternative CO oxidation catalyst. This research resulted in a poster presentation at the South-eastern American Chemical Society Conference in 2014. In this role, I conducted nanoparticle synthesis, built a gas-phase reaction chamber, and operated analytical instruments such as a Fourier-transform IR spectrometer, and Gas Chromatographer.

I held weekly office hours for a few mostly first-year undergraduates to cover homework questions on the board. Each weekend I worked with other teaching assistants to grade homework.