Sustainability Leadership Fellow Cohort: 2024-2025

Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Chemistry

Research Summary: Exposure to particulate matter (PM) is harmful to human health. One source of PM is the reaction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to produce low volatility products that condense to the particle phase. Volatile chemical products (VCPs), substances used in industrial processes and personal care products, are a significant source of VOCs. Glycol ethers are one class of VOCs found in VCPs. My research involves investigating how structure impacts glycol ether reaction mechanisms to understand the contribution of glycol ethers to PM. Specifically, I use mass spectrometry to track reactions of glycol ethers in an environmental chamber.