Brent Williams

Brent Williams.
Department Head
Professor
[email protected]
439 Borlaug Hall
Education
  • B.S., St. Cloud State University; Physics, 2002
  • Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley; Environmental Science, Policy, & Management, 2008

 

Academic Appointments

  • Postdoc, University of Minnesota; Mechanical Engineering, 2008-2010
  • Postdoc, Aerodyne Research Inc.; Chemical Engineering, 2008-2010
  • Assistant Prof., Washington University in St. Louis; Energy, Environmental, & Chemical Engineering, 2010-2016
  • Associate Prof., Washington University in St. Louis; Energy, Environmental, & Chemical Engineering, 2016-2023

Areas of Interest

Air Quality, Climate Change, Atmosphere-Biosphere Exchange, Wildfires, Indoor Air Quality, Aerosol Science & Technology, Environmental Health, Public Health, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Air Toxins

Teaching

(Past classes)

  • Earth’s Future – Causes and Consequences of Global Climate Change
  • Atmospheric Science & Climate
  • Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
  • Process Analysis and Thermodynamics

Research

My research interests focus on the exploration of the composition, chemistry, and physical properties of Earth's atmosphere to determine the role of biogenic and anthropogenic gases and particles in Earth's climate system and their impact on human health.

Select Publications

Dang, A. J., Kreisberg, N. M., Cargill, T. L., Chen, J.-H., Hornitschek, S., Hutheesing, R., Turner, J. R., and Williams, B. J.: Development of a Multichannel Organics In situ enviRonmental Analyzer (MOIRA) for mobile measurements of volatile organic compounds, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussion, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1479, 2023. 

Jeon, S., Walker, M. J., Sueper, D. T., Day, D. A., Handschy, A. V., Jimenez, J. L., and Williams, B. J.: A searchable database and mass spectral comparison tool for aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) and aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM), Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussion, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1129, 2023.

Sharkey, S.M., A.M. Hartig, A.J. Dang, A. Chatterjee, B.J. Williams, K.M. Parker: Amine Volatilization from Herbicide Salts: Implications for Herbicide Formulations and Atmospheric Chemistry, Environmental Science & Technology, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c03740, 2022.

Fortenberry, C., M. Walker, A. Dang, A. Loka, G. Date, K. Cysneiros de Carvalho, G. Morrison, B. Williams: Analysis of indoor particles and gases and their evolution with natural ventilation during the Air Composition and Reactivity from Outdoor aNd Indoor Mixing (ACRONIM) field campaign, Indoor Air, doi.org/10.1111/ina.12584, 2019.

Fortenberry, C.F., M.J. Walker, Y. Zhang, D. Mitroo, W.H. Brune, B.J. Williams: Bulk and Molecular-Level Characterization of Laboratory-Aged Biomass Burning Organic Aerosol from Oak Leaf and Heartwood Fuels, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 2199-2224, doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-2199-2018, 2018.

Ng, N. L., Brown, S. S., Archibald, A. T., Atlas, E., Cohen, R. C., Crowley, J. N., Day, D. A., Donahue, N. M., Fry, J. L., Fuchs, H., Griffin, R. J., Guzman, M. I., Hermann, H., Hodzic, A., Iinuma, Y., Jimenez, J. L., Kiendler-Scharr, A., Lee, B. H., Luecken, D. J., Mao, J., McLaren, R., Mutzel, A., Osthoff, H. D., Ouyang, B., Picquet-Varrault, B., Platt, U., Pye, H. O. T., Rudich, Y., Schwantes, R. H., Shiraiwa, M., Stutz, J., Thornton, J. A., Tilgner, A., Williams, B. J., and Zaveri, R. A.: Nitrate radicals and biogenic volatile organic compounds: oxidation, mechanisms and organic aerosol, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 2103-2162, doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-2103-2017, 2017.

Zhang, Y., B.J. Williams, A.H. Goldstein, K.S. Docherty, and J.L. Jimenez: A technique for rapid source apportionment applied to ambient organic aerosol measurements from the Thermal desorption Aerosol Gas chromatograph (TAG), Atmos. Meas. Tech., doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-5637-2016, 2016.

Millet, D.B., M. Baasandorj, L. Hu, D. Mitroo, J. Turner, B.J. Williams: Nighttime chemistry and morning isoprene can drive urban ozone downwind of a major deciduous forest, Environ. Sci. Technol., doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b06367, 2016.

Wang, X., B.J. Williams, X. Wang, T. Tang, Y. Huang, L. Kong, X. Yang, and P. Biswas: Characterization of organic aerosol produced during pulverized coal combustion in a drop tube furnace, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 3345-3377, doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-10919-2013, 2013.

Worton, D.R., A.H. Goldstein, D.K. Farmer, K.S. Docherty, J.L. Jimenez, J.B. Gilman, W.C. Kuster, J. de Gouw, B.J. Williams, N.M. Kreisberg, S.V. Hering, G. Bench, M. McKay, K. Kristensen, M. Glasius, J.D. Surratt, and J.H. Seinfeld: Origins and composition of fine atmospheric carbonaceous aerosol in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 10219-10241, doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-10219-2011, 2011.

Williams, B.J., A.H. Goldstein, N.M. Kreisberg, and S.V. Hering: In-situ measurements of gas/particle phase transitions for atmospheric semivolatile organic compounds, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0911858107, 2010.

Smith, J.N., K.C. Barsanti, H.R. Friedli, M. Ehn, M. Kulmala, D.R. Collins, J.H. Scheckman, B.J. Williams, and P.H. McMurry: Observations of aminium salts in atmospheric nanoparticles and possible climatic implications, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0912127107, 2010.

Williams, B.J., A.H. Goldstein, N.M. Kreisberg, and S.V. Hering: An in-situ instrument for speciated organic composition of atmospheric aerosols: Thermal desorption Aerosol GC/MS-FID (TAG), Aerosol Sci. and Technol., 40, 627-638, doi.org/10.1080/02786820600754631