Research is ongoing in the Chemical Sciences Division in the Material Measurement Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop and improve quantitative measurements of size, mass, and optical properties of nanoparticles (aerosols) and their impact on the environment, climate and human health.

Projects at NIST are almost exclusively laboratory-based with an emphasis on metrology. Examples include: 1) using optical spectroscopy to measure the extinction and absorption (at one or more wavelengths) of complex atmospherically relevant aerosols (e.g. soot, brown carbon, inorganic species and their mixtures) using cavity ring-down spectroscopy and photoacoustic spectroscopy, respectively. These optical measurements are then typically corroborated using some flavor of optical modeling (e.g. Mie theory, DDA or T-matrix). 2) Using measurements and numerical simulations to better understand the transfer function and parameter space of aerosol instrumentation to reduce errors and uncertainties in measured values. 3) Measurements and models of aerosol dynamics to understand the interaction of particles with 3-dimensional interfaces under various flow conditions. 4) Metrology development for the detection of nano-plastics from various sources under different environmental conditions.

key words

Aerosols; Nanomaterials; Metrology; Climate change; Environment; Health impacts; Nano-plastics; Spectroscopy; Instrumentation;

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants