Research Themes

(For insight into student experiences related to these projects and previous work by group members, see blog posts here)

1. Exchange of Reactive Nitrogen at the Atmosphere-Surface Interface

   Reactive nitrogen has been produced and released to the environment through fertilizer use and combustion of fuels, perturbing the global nitrogen cycle in ways unprecedented in Earth’s history. Anticipating and mitigating the impacts of the resulting nitrogen cascade is a pressing societal issue in a world with increasing needs for food production and energy. There are many reactive nitrogen species that undergo production and exchange at interfaces, with predictive understanding limited by available techniques that can interrogate fundamental controls under real-world conditions. The research group is looking for a highly qualified Postdoctoral Scholar or Research Associate, as well as MSc and PhD students with experience in atmospheric chemistry, instrumentation design/engineering, and/or analytical chemistry to pursue the development of next-generation platforms to capture reactive nitrogen exchange at environmental interfaces in contact with the atmosphere. Experience with environmental field work, large data-set analysis, automation, and mass spectrometry are strong assets. This work is being pursued in collaboration with industrial partners Eosense, Inc. and Picarro, offering integrated training opportunities for project personnel.

2. Reactive Nitrogen and Halogen Activation Linkages Driving Urban Air Quality

   A regime shift in urban air quality is underway, with tailpipe emissions of organic compounds decreasing, resulting in an emergent role for reactive organics released through the use of consumer products (eg. paints, cleaners, deodorants, etc). To disentangle the chemistry that these varied molecules may undergo, their interaction with known catalytic drivers of air quality (eg. nitrogen oxides) must be captured within the context of radical production, propagation, and termination. In two upcoming field campaigns, AEROMMA (Atmospheric Emissions and Reactions Observed from Megacities to Marine Areas) and SWAPIT (Study of Winter Air Pollution in Toronto) intensive ground sites for international research teams will be hosted at York University’s Air Quality Research Station. Each project will involve several weeks of intensive measurements followed by analysis of the field data to investigate the drivers of degraded air quality under summer and winter conditions. In particular, contrasting the linkages between reactive nitrogen chemistry and halogen activation between these photochemical regimes will be targeted by our team. The research group is looking for a highly qualified Postdoctoral Scholar or Research Associate, as well as MSc and PhD students with training in atmospheric chemistry and/or instrumentation, as well as analytical chemistry, to conduct measurements during these campaigns. Prior experience with environmental field work, large data-set analysis, team work, aerosol measurements, and chemical ionization mass spectrometry are strong assets.