RESEARCH INTERESTS
Research in the Kenseth Lab combines laboratory studies, isomer-resolved mass spectrometry, and organic synthesis, supported by computational chemistry, to develop a detailed, molecular-level understanding of the fundamental chemical processes that govern the formation and evolution of aerosol particles in the atmosphere. We also participate in collaborative airborne and ground-based field campaigns and conduct our own local-to-regional ambient sampling to examine how chemistry elucidated in the laboratory manifests in the real atmosphere.
Atmospheric aerosol particles play a pivotal role in two of the most pressing environmental challenges of the 21st century: air pollution and climate change. Exposure to ambient aerosol is estimated to cause >8 million deaths per year, making it the leading environmental risk factor for premature mortality. Aerosol particles also influence Earth’s climate directly, by scattering and absorbing sunlight, and indirectly, by seeding cloud formation and altering their reflectivity and lifetime; together, these effects represent the largest source of uncertainty in our understanding of radiative climate forcing. By identifying and characterizing the chemical processes that determine the distribution and properties of aerosol particles in the atmosphere, our research helps to improve predictions of atmospheric composition as well as the trajectory of future air quality and climate.
EDUCATION
BS, Chemistry, University of Vermont, 2015
Advisor: Giuseppe A. Petrucci
PhD, Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, 2022
Advisors: John H. Seinfeld, Paul O. Wennberg, Brian M. Stoltz
NSF AGS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, University of Washington, 2022–2025
Advisor: Joel A. Thornton
SELECTED AWARDS
Sheldon K. Friedlander Award, American Association for Aerosol Research, 2024
Atmospheric Chemistry Colloquium for Emerging Senior Scientists (ACCESS) XVII, Brookhaven National Laboratory, 2023
Herbert Newby McCoy Award, California Institute of Technology, 2021
C. Ellen Gonter Environmental Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society, 2020
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Kenseth, C. M.; Hafeman, N. J.; Rezgui, S. P.; Chen, J.; Huang, Y.; Dalleska, N. F.; Kjaergaard, H. G.; Stoltz, B. M.; Seinfeld, J. H.; Wennberg, P. O. Particle-Phase Accretion Forms Dimer Esters in Pinene Secondary Organic Aerosol. Science 2023, 382, 787–792. Press Release
Kenseth, C. M.; Hafeman, N. J.; Huang, Y.; Dalleska, N. F.; Stoltz, B. M.; Seinfeld, J. H. Synthesis of Carboxylic Acid and Dimer Ester Surrogates to Constrain the Abundance and Distribution of Molecular Products in a-Pinene and b-Pinene Secondary Organic Aerosol. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2020, 54, 12829–12839.
Kenseth, C. M.; Huang, Y.; Zhao, R.; Dalleska, N. F.; Hethcox, J. C.; Stoltz, B. M.; Seinfeld, J. H. Synergistic O3 + OH Oxidation Pathway to Extremely Low-Volatility Dimers Revealed in b-Pinene Secondary Organic Aerosol. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 2018, 115, 8301–8306.