Our Research

There is keen interest in hydrogen production through carbon-neutral or -negative approaches for mitigating climate change. We study the chemistry of hydrogen production from hydrocarbon-based fuels, including methane and bioderived hydrocarbons using a variety of experimental and computational tools.

We make measurements of particles and their precursors formed during combustion and pyrolysis and analyze those measurements using theory and modeling to gain insight into the chemistry of soot formation during wildfires. The results will be used to improve models of wildfire emissions and propagation.

We study the characteristics of combustion-generated particles in laboratory experiments to gain insight into the characteristics and composition of particles when emitted from wildfires and other atmospheric sources, their physical and chemical evolution  in the atmosphere, and their impact on the environment.

We develop and use laser-based, X-ray-based, mass spectrometric, and other techniques for studying the chemistry and characteristics of particles generated during combustion, pyrolysis, or other reactive processes.

We develop methods and design instruments for detecting and characterizing atmospheric light-absorbing particles produced predominantly during combustion.

We use our expertise and capabilities to solve problems that have impact on human and non-human health, the environment, agriculture, and industrial processes.