Professor Naomi Zimmerman
Principal Investigator (CV)
🏢 CEME 2066
☎ (604) 822-9433
Dr. Anand Kumar
RAIN Installation Manager
Postdoc., The University of British Columbia (2022)
Ph.D., ETH Zurich (2018)
M.Tech., Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India (2014)
Bio: Anand is the Installation Manager for the Rapid Air Improvement Network (RAIN) project which aims to integrate spatially-dense sensor networks, mobile monitoring and sophisticated instrumentation to map and characterize air pollutants with the detail needed to support effective interventions on short and long term timescales. Anand has a background in particulate matter measurement & instrumentation as well as aspects of heterogeneous ice nucleation in the atmosphere. His master’s research work was focussed on designing, developing and performing field evaluation of a multiple slit nozzle-based high volume PM2.5 inertial impactor assembly. An Indian patent was filed for the assembly design and is in final stage of approval. His Ph.D research focussed on heterogeneous ice nucleation on mineral dust and the impact of atmospherically relevant chemical species on the ice nucleation abilities of various mineral dusts. He further explored this topic in his postdoc by using Molecular Dynamics Simulation technique to elucidate physical behavior of mineral-solute-water systems at low temperatures on short time and length scales that are not directly accessible experimentally. In his free time, Anand enjoys cooking, baking, dancing and exploring restaurants and craft breweries.
Dr. Surya Dhulipala
Postdoctoral Fellow
Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin (2018)
MS, Carnegie Mellon University (2013)
BS, Manipal Institute of Technology (2012)
Bio: Surya is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His Ph.D. thesis was focused on measuring Particulate Matter (PM) formation from volatile chemical products including combustion sources (vehicular exhaust) and non-combustion sources (ingredients of industrial solvents and coatings). Prior to joining UBC, Surya worked as an Air Quality Scientist at Omniscent, a startup based in San Jose, California. He was part of the team that developed a low-cost micro gas chromatograph, capable of detecting benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX) at sub ppb levels. His current project is focused on creating an integrated air pollution sensor network with 5G capabilities at traffic-intersections on UBC campus. In his spare time, Surya loves cooking, hiking, doing CrossFit workouts and playing guitar.
“iREACH to make technological advances in air pollution monitoring accessible to the whole world through development of intelligent low-cost sensor networks.”
Sakshi Jain
Ph.D. Candidate
M.S. Carnegie Mellon University, USA (2017)
B.Tech. CEPT University, India (2016)
Bio: Sakshi is a PhD student under Dr. Zimmerman in the department of Mechanical Engineering at UBC. After completing a Bachelor of Technology from Center for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) in India and a Master’s in Science from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the US, she joined UBC in 2018 to help mitigate the gender ratio in the department. Broadly speaking, her research interest lies at the intersection of air quality and climate change. Her current project aligns with her interest, where she is going to look at the impact of usage of kerosene in indoor environments (in India), and the atmospheric and health benefits of replacing the kerosene with solar microgrids. When Sakshi is not being an air quality nerd, she spends her time swimming, playing board games and trying new food joints – not in that particular order, though.
“iREACH for awareness about Climate Change and Air Quality Impacts in underdeveloped parts of the world and for more people to join the fight against global warming.”
Mrinmoy Chakraborty
Ph.D. Candidate
M.Tech. IIT Kanpur, India (2016)
B.Tech. West Bengal University of Technology (2013)
Bio: Mrinmoy is a PhD student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering jointly supervised by Prof. Amanda Giang. He has completed masters in Environmental Engineering and Management from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and undergraduate studies in Civil Engineering at West Bengal University of Technology, Kolkata. He is interested in working with field observations of air pollutants using low cost sensors and evaluating the energy policies with the help of chemical transport models. His focus will be on the tools for assessing energy and health policies in developing countries like India using both numerical simulations and field studies.
“i want to REACH the dark corners of air quality and climate change research, illuminate them, and make our world a better and healthier place to live.”
Davi Monticelli
Ph.D. Student
M.Eng. Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Brazil (2020)
B.Eng. Universidade Federal do Espirito Santo, Brazil (2019)
Bio: Davi is a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at UBC Vancouver. He has a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering, with an emphasis on air pollution, from the Federal University of Espirito Santo, located in Brazil. Davi also has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering at the same institution in Brazil. During his undergraduate studies, he was able to obtain a scholarship and study abroad at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. At UBC, he will work to mitigate the air quality impacts of the emerging Cannabis Industry through measuring and modelling concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM). Additionally, he will analyze odour reports and investigate public health impacts of Cannabis Industry emissions and the distribution of these impacts in the context of environmental justice. On the personal aspect, Davi enjoys playing chess, the guitar/keyboard, and swim.
“iREACH for a world where air pollution is visible, quantifiable, and understandable for the public so people can breathe cleaner air in all regions.”
Melanie MacArthur
M.A.Sc. Candidate
B.Sc. Dalhousie University (2017)
Bio: Melanie in an MASc student studying under Dr. Naomi Zimmerman in the Mechanical Engineering department. Melanie graduated in 2017 from her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Dalhousie University. After graduation, Melanie worked for the National Research Council of Canada researching toxic compounds produced by algae and cyanobacteria. Most of her work focused on high resolution LC-MS monitoring of Nova Scotia lake water for anatoxin-a and microcystins, potent neurological toxins that wildlife and domestic animals every year. During this time, Melanie developed a passion for working on environment and health related issues.
Working with Vancouver Coastal Health, Melanie is using the UBC PLUME (Portable Laboratory for Understanding human-Made Emissions) to monitor carbon monoxide, NOx, ozone and PM2.5. This will generate a better understanding of how many daycares are affected by traffic-related air pollution, and if measure need to be taken to improve air quality.
“iREACH for a better understanding of how anthropogenic air pollution affects our climate and health, and finding creative solutions to reduce our carbon footprint as a species.”
James Hindson
M.A.Sc. Candidate
B.Eng. Coventry University, UK (2015)
Bio: James is an MASc student under Dr. Naomi Zimmerman in the department of Mechanical Engineering at UBC. In 2015, James completed his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aerospace Engineering at Coventry University in the UK. After graduation, James worked for Bombardier Transportation UK as a Systems Engineer on the London Crossrail project as well as for Rolls-Royce as a Design Engineer. It was James’ time in industry that gave him his passion for air pollution and climate change related issues and made him question how he as an engineer could contribute towards reducing their impact. His research interests lie in the area of fusing air quality and transportation data to promote smarter and more sustainable cities, making them a healthier and cleaner place to live. In his free time, James enjoys soccer, swimming, reading and learning Spanish.
“iREACH to better understand how air quality is affected by transportation so that we are able to design smarter, more sustainable cities, reducing impacts to both the climate and human health.”
Chris Kelly
B.A.Sc. Researcher
Materials Engineering, UBC (2025)
Rachel Habermehl
B.Sc. Researcher (Co-op Student)
Geographical Sciences, UBC (2023)
Stefan Colbow
B.A.Sc. Researcher
Mechanical Engineering, UBC (2022)
Nika Martinussen
B.A.Sc. Researcher (Eco Canada Co-op Student)
Engineering Physics, UBC (2024)
Alumni
- Bingqi Liu – M.A.Sc. University of British Columbia (2020) – Currently Policy Analyst, Metro Vancouver
- Jacob Rose – B.A.Sc. Researcher (2020-2021) – Currently Student, UBC Mechanical Engineering (graduating: 2021)
- Julian Fawkes – B.A.Sc. Researcher (2020) – Currently Student, UBC Mechanical Engineering (graduating: 2023)
- Zoe Le Hong – B.A.Sc. Researcher (2019-2020) – Currently Intern, Integral Group and Francl Architecture
- Katia Cantu – MITACS Globalink Intern (2019) – Currently Industrial Engineering Student, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico