Sonia Kreidenweis

Associate Dean for Research, Walter Scott Jr. College of Engineering

University Distinguished Professor, Atmospheric Sciences

Deputy Director, Co-PI, Co-Lead Theme 3

Areas of expertise: the physical, chemical, and optical properties of atmospheric particulate matter, and the effects of the atmospheric aerosol on visibility and climate.

Dr. Sonia M. Kreidenweis is a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University. She received her B.S. in chemical engineering from Manhattan College and her M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Prior to joining CSU in 1991, she was an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at San Jose State University and served as a consultant in aerosol and chemical interactions in the atmosphere at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Her research focuses on characterization of the physical, chemical, and optical properties of atmospheric particulate matter, and the effects of the atmospheric aerosol on visibility and climate. 

Kreidenweis’ lab focuses on the characterization of the physical, chemical and optical properties of particles in the atmosphere, with biologically-derived particles a particular focus for BROADN.

Potential projects to apply to: 

Projects will involve various aspects of how bioparticles become airborne and their activity in the atmosphere, in collaboration with the Borlee lab. Projects may involve investigation of mechanisms by which bioparticles are emitted from soils and plant surfaces. We also have a device for detecting the presence of ice nucleating particles (INPs), which can be biological in origin. INPs serve to catalyze first ice formation in supercooled liquid clouds and are important factors in the initiation of precipitation in midlevel clouds.