Lisa VanLoon

I’m interested in understanding the chemistry of aerosols in the atmosphere that contributes to climate change and in the chemistry happening in the environment.

I grew up in Saskatoon.

I attended the University of Ottawa and studied for my B.Sc. in chemistry in English and French. (The U of O is Canada’s bilingual university!)

I then earned my M.Sc. in Chemistry (Environmental and Chemical Toxicology) at the University of Ottawa. I was interested in understanding the chemistry that transforms mercury from a water soluble species that can be rained out into a volatile species that stays in the atmosphere for 1 year and travels around the entire world during this time.

In 2001 I moved to the US and started my PhD in Chemistry at The Ohio State University. I graduated in 2007. My Ph.D. interests were in atmospheric chemistry - I was interested in understanding how reactions happen on the surface of aerosols, to contribute to particle growth. This is important for understanding how clouds grow and for understanding the role of aerosols in climate change.
From 2007-2008, I was a post doc at the University of Georgia. I wanted to understand the role particle shape plays in their reactivity. I also did some air sampling during football games with an undergraduate student.

I’ve been an Industrial Scientist at the CLS since August, 2008. I really like figuring out how to solve problems using the best tools for the job, so this is a really exciting place to work! As an industrial scientist I help companies solve their questions. For example, mining companies need to know what compounds are in the waste and in the aerosols that are emitted during mining operations so they know what clean-up procedures should be done. I can answer these questions by designing an experiment using the synchrotron.

Last modified: 2009-02-04 16:02:27