Abstract: Atmospheric pollutants, ranging from traditional organic aerosols to emerging contaminants such as nanoplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), play critical roles in air quality, climate forcing and environmental health. Their sources, atmospheric transformations, transport pathways and impacts, however, remain poorly constrained.
My research integrates state-of-the-art laboratory experiments with innovative field campaigns, including deployment of a mobile laboratory equipped with real-time mass spectrometry, to develop approaches for detecting emerging pollutants, characterize their spatial and temporal distributions and quantify the multiphase processes that drive their evolution in the atmosphere. By bridging controlled laboratory studies with complex atmospheric environments, this work reveals the mechanisms linking molecular-level transformations of pollutants to their climate and health impacts.
Bio: Dr. Yue Zhang is an assistant professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University. His research integrates laboratory experiments and field studies to investigate the processes and climate impacts of atmospheric pollutants, including such emerging contaminants as nanoplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). He obtained Ph.D. in environmental science and engineering from Harvard University and became a U.S. NSF postdoctoral fellow, jointly working with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Aerodyne Research and MIT. He joined Texas A&M as an assistant professor in 2021. To date, he has published nearly 60 peer-reviewed papers, including those in natural communications and natural geosciences and has been recognized with the Best Paper of the Year in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, UNC Chapel Hill Postdoc of Research Excellence, the Montague Teaching of Excellence Award at Texas A&M University and the NSF CAREER Award. He also served as committee chair and working group chair roles within the American Association for Aerosol Research.