Peter Adams 
Professor and Department Head | Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA, UNITED STATES
Biography
Peter Adams' research largely focuses on the development of chemical transport models (CTMs) and their application to public policy decision-making, especially related to air quality standards (PM2.5). A current research area is the development and evaluation of reduced-complexity air quality models that are more amenable to policy analysis than CTMs. His areas of research have also included the effects of climate change on air quality, short-lived climate forcers, atmospheric ammonia and particulate matter formation from livestock operations, and the simulation organic particulate matter. He has previously served on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee and the Allegheny County Health Department's Air Toxics New Guidelines Proposal Committee, as well as service to the American Association for Aerosol Research.
Areas of Expertise (1)
Public Policy
Education (3)
California Institute of Technology: Ph.D., Chemical Engineering
California Institute of Technology: M.S., Chemical Engineering
Cornell University: B.S., Chemical Engineering
Media Appearances (2)
Why Is Ground Level Ozone Bad, But Stratospheric Ozone Is Good?
90.5 WESA
2019-07-02
Carnegie Mellon University environmental engineering professor Peter Adams said ozone formation is one of the more complicated topics in atmospheric chemistry. “You need something called volatile organic compounds, which you can think of gasoline vapors and other things like that. You need nitrogen oxides which comes from vehicles and power plants,” Adams said. “You need it to be sunny, and generally you need warmer temperatures.”
AP analysis: Dozens of deaths likely from VW pollution dodge
AP News
2015-10-03
“Statistically, we can’t point out who died because of this policy, but some people have died or likely died as a result of this,” said Carnegie Mellon environmental engineer professor Peter Adams. He calculates the cost of air pollution with a sophisticated computer model that he and the AP used in its analysis.
