Course Instructor Biographies (listed alphabetically)
Dr. Rajan Chakrabarty is an Assistant Research Professor in the Division of
Atmospheric Sciences at the Desert Research Institute. His current research
interests lie in the study of aerosol physics and radiation transfer for addressing
today’s energy issues. Specifically, his research addresses two distinct themes:
(i) Investigating the role of atmospheric aerosols in earth’s energy balance using
novel instrumentation and diagnostic techniques and models; and
(ii) Understanding and engineering of aerosol formation in combustion systems
towards synthesis of high porosity and surface-area materials for catalysis, solar
cells and various energy applications. Dr. Chakrabarty received his Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the
University of Nevada, Reno in December 2008.
Dr. Judith C. Chow, Nazir and Mary Ansari Chair in Entrepreneurialism and Science
and Research Professor in the Division of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) at the Desert Research Institute
(DRI) , part of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), has over 37 years of experience in
conducting air quality studies and performing statistical data analysis. She received her Doctor of
Science degree in Environmental Health Science and Physiology from Harvard University in 1985. As
leader of DRI’s Environmental Analysis Facility (EAF), Dr. Chow supervises a group of 30 research
scientists and technicians in developing and applying advanced analytical methods to characterize
suspended atmospheric particles. Dr. Chow is the principal author or co-author of ~320 peer-reviewed
articles and ~90 peer-reviewed book chapters and has been recognized by ISIHighlyCited.com in ecology
and environment with more than 8,400 citations of her work.
Dr. Philip K. Hopke is the Bayard D. Clarkson Distinguished Professor and Director of the
Institute for a Sustainable Environment at Clarkson University. Professor Hopke received his B.S. in
Chemistry from Trinity College (Hartford) and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from Princeton
University. He is a past Chair of EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC), a Past President
of the AAAR, and is currently a member of the NRC’s Board of Environmental Studies and Toxicology. He
is a fellow of the International Aerosol Research Assembly, the American Association for the
Advancement of Science and the American Association for Aerosol Research, an elected member of the
International Statistics Institute, the recipient of the Eastern Analytical Symposium Award in
Chemometrics and a recipient of the David Sinclair Award.
Dr. William Malm began his career as a professor of physics and environmental science
at Northern Arizona University in 1972 and through 1978. To date, Dr. Malm has published over 200
journal articles and facilitated many sessions at professional meetings. In conjunction with his
teaching/presentation experience, Dr. Malm authored a book titled "Introduction to Visibility." Dr. Malm
received his B.S. degree in physics and a minor in mathematics from Mankato State University in 1965;
he received his M.S. degree in physics from the University of North Dakota in 1968, and his Ph.D. in
nuclear physics from the University of Missouri in 1972. Dr. Malm has been involved in visibility and air
quality research since 1972, first as a professor of environmental science at Northern Arizona
University, then as an Environmental Protection Agency research scientist, and finally as a research
physicist in charge of the National Park Service visibility/particulate research monitoring program. He
has been involved with the publication of over 200 papers in the areas of effects (visibility), origins, and
composition of atmospheric aerosols in the United States and on various aspects of human perception
and values as they relate to visitor enjoyment of national parks and other scenic wilderness areas.
Dr. Hans Moosmüller is a Research Professor in the Division of Atmospheric
Sciences of the Desert Research Institute, Nevada System of Higher
Education. His interests include experimental and theoretical research in
optical spectroscopy as well as its applications to atmospheric, aerosol, and
climate physics. His research focuses on development and application of real
time, in situ measurement methods for aerosol light absorption, scattering,
extinction, and asymmetry parameter, and new optical remote sensing
techniques. These measurement methods are being used for ambient air
monitoring and vehicle, fugitive dust, and biomass burning emission studies. His latest research
interests are fast, ultra-sensitive measurements of elementary mercury concentrations and fluxes and
aerosol morphology and its influence on aerosol optical properties with a focus on fractal-like chain
aggregates found in combustion particles. Dr. Moosmüller received his Ph.D. in Physics from Colorado
State University in 1988.
Bret Schichtel is a mechanical engineer, earning a bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech
in 1989 and a doctor of science degree from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, in 1996. He
subsequently served as a research scientist at the Center for Air Pollution Impact and Trend Analysis
(CAPITA) at Washington University and then the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at
Colorado State University. In 2003 he joined the National Park Service Air Resource Division in Fort
Collins, Colorado, as a physical scientist. There he participates in regulatory and research assessments
to better understand the causes of poor air quality in national parks, including haze that obscures the
majestic vistas, sulfur and reactive nitrogen deposition that can alter the sensitive ecosystems, and
elevated ozone that adversely affects the plants and animals. This research involves participation in the
collection and analysis of data from special field studies and national monitoring programs, including the
Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE).
Dr. John G. Watson, Research Professor in the Division of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) at
the Desert Research Institute (DRI), part of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), has over 41
years of experience in physics, environmental sciences, air quality network design and measurement,
and source/receptor modeling. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from Oregon Graduate
Institute (now Oregon Health and Science University) in 1979. Dr. Watson has conducted and managed
>100 air quality studies. He is known for formulating conceptual models as well as organizing and
planning large-scale, multi-year air quality studies in the U.S. Dr. Watson established DRI’s Source
Characterization Laboratory and developed an in-plume sampling system for real-time measurement of
vehicle exhaust. Dr. Watson is the principal author or co-author of ~275 peer-reviewed publications and
~65 peer-reviewed book chapters and has been recognized by ISIHighlyCited.com in ecology and
environment with more than 7,500 citations of his work.