Neil Donahue
Professor Carnegie Mellon University
- Pittsburgh PA
Neil Donahue's research examines the behavior of organic compounds in Earth’s atmosphere.
Biography
Areas of Expertise
Media Appearances
CMU Offers New Additional Major in Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Carnegie Mellon University News online
2021-10-18
Neil Donahue is the director of the Steinbrenner Institute and the Thomas Lord University Professor in Chemistry with appointments in chemical engineering and engineering and public policy.
In a wild first, physicists used lasers to control lightning on a mountaintop
Inverse online
2023-01-16
Many mysteries remain in the physics of how lightning emerges, Neil Donahue, an atmospheric physical chemist from Carnegie Mellon who wasn’t involved in the new study, tells Inverse. “We for sure can't predict when and where a lightning strike will occur,” he says. “So something like this could be a useful tool in a scientific toolkit to explore this stuff.”
Toxic gases connected to Ohio train derailment cause concern
AP News online
2023-02-08
Neil Donahue, a professor chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University in nearby Pittsburgh, said he worries that the burning could have formed dioxins, which are created from burning chlorinated carbon materials.
‘Smokeageddon’ was unprecedented. We can expect more of the same.
WGN-TV online
2023-07-17
Neil Donahue, a chemistry professor at Carnegie Mellon University, greeted the haze with sad irony. Pittsburgh was once the Smoky City, its dramatic features blurred by perpetual soot from steel mills and coal plants.
Indiana plastics fire raises worries about health dangers
The Seattle Times online
2023-04-14
Any significant disturbance, such as a structural failure, can release microscopic asbestos fibers, said Neil Donahue, a Carnegie Mellon University chemistry professor.
Media
Social
Industry Expertise
Accomplishments
Esselen Award
2017
Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society
Carnegie Institute of Technology Outstanding Research Award
2010
ACS Pittsburgh Award
2016
Carnegie Science Award, Environmental Award
2017
Education
Brown University
A.B.
Physics
1985
MIT
Ph.D.
Meteorology
1991
Affiliations
- American Geophysical Union : Fellow
Links
Articles
The effect of COVID-19 restrictions on atmospheric new particle formation in Beijing
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics2022
During the COVID-19 lockdown, the dramatic reduction of anthropogenic emissions provided a unique opportunity to investigate the effects of reduced anthropogenic activity and primary emissions on atmospheric chemical processes and the consequent formation of secondary pollutants. Here, we utilize comprehensive observations to examine the response of atmospheric new particle formation (NPF) to the changes in the atmospheric chemical cocktail.
Environmental Science: Atmospheres at year two
Environmental Science: Atmospheres2023
At Environmental Science: Atmospheres we are starting our third volume as a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry Environmental Science journal family. Our founding aspiration was for each of our articles to change the way you think about atmospheres. I believe we have accomplished this. Articles are well written, present new science, and are being read.
Sulfur Dioxide Transported From the Residual Layer Drives Atmospheric Nucleation During Haze Periods in Beijing
Geophysical Research Letters2023
New particle formation (NPF) is a global phenomenon that significantly influences climate. NPF also contributes to haze, with pronounced negative impacts on human health. Theory and observations both show that nucleation is favored during clean days and inhibited during haze episodes due to a high pre-existing condensation sink (CS). Here we show that the surprising occurrence of NPF during haze days in Beijing is associated with a high concentration of sulfuric acid dimers.
Molecular Understanding of the Enhancement in Organic Aerosol Mass at High Relative Humidity
Environmental Science & Technology2023
The mechanistic pathway by which high relative humidity (RH) affects gas–particle partitioning remains poorly understood, although many studies report increased secondary organic aerosol (SOA) yields at high RH. Here, we use real-time, molecular measurements of both the gas and particle phase to provide a mechanistic understanding of the effect of RH on the partitioning of biogenic oxidized organic molecules (from α-pinene and isoprene) at low temperatures (243 and 263 K) at the CLOUD chamber at CERN.
An intercomparison study of four different techniques for measuring the chemical composition of nanoparticles
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics2023
Currently, the complete chemical characterization of nanoparticles (
