Yue Zhang

With increasing interactions between human beings and the environment, air pollution and climate change are two major challenges many countries face. Atmospheric gas pollutants and aerosols, have significant health risks and climate effects due to their abilities to penetrate deeply into lungs and form clouds, while their formation mechanisms are not fully understood. Dr. Zhang's research aims to understand the physicochemical evolution and interactions of gas- and particle-phase compounds, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and organic aerosols. Our group also examines the climate and health effects of aerosols in both outdoor and indoor environments. For detailed research please check the group website above. Current research projects include: - Chemical evolution of organic aerosols using environmental chamber and chemical characterization techniques - Climate effects of aerosols and their physicochemical properties: examining cloud condensation nuclei and ice nucleation properties of complex aerosols - Chemical reactivity and spatial-temporal distribution of organic gases in the atmosphere, and their health impacts using stationary and mobile measurements - The role of physicochemical properties of aerosols in air quality and climate change - Applying kinetic and reaction mechanisms derived from laboratory studies to regional and global scale models

- Li X., Wolf M., Shen X., Steinke, Lai Z., Niu S., China S., Shrivastava M., Zhang Z., Gold A., Surratt J. D., Borug I. C., Cziczo, D. J., Burrows S., Zhang Y., Quantifying and Modeling the Impact of Phase State on the Ice Nucleation Abilities of 2-Methyltetrols as a Key Component of Secondary Organic Aerosol Derived from Isoprene Epoxydiols, Environ. Sci. Technol., 2024 - Niu S., Liu R., Gagan S., Dodero A., Ying Q., Ma X., Canagaratna, M., Zhang Y., Quantifying the Chemical Composition and Real-time Mass Loading of Nanoplastic Particles (NPPs) in the Atmosphere using Aerosol Mass Spectrometry, Environ. Sci. Technol., 2024.