Carnegie Mellon University
Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research  ›  People  ›  Faculty Affiliates  ›  Coty Jen

Coty Jen

Coty Jen

Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering

  • Doherty Hall 2113
  • 412-268-4531
Address
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Bio

Coty Jen is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and a member of the Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on understanding how the chemical composition and physical properties of atmospheric aerosol particles influence air quality and climate. Specifically, her goal is to disentangle the chemical complexity of the atmosphere by measuring and then developing semi-empirical models to describe the numerous compounds and their reactions that help form and grow atmospheric particles. These models will help predict how human activities will alter air quality over the next few decades. In addition, Jen’s group specializes in developing novel aerosol measurement techniques to measure the physical characteristics and molecular make-up of atmospheric particles from several molecules to 2.5 µm in diameter produced from wildfires to complex atmospheric reactions.

Jen obtained her B.S. in chemical engineering at Columbia University in 2010, M.S. in chemical engineering at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in 2013, Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in 2015, and postdoc in environmental science, policy, and management at University of California, Berkeley in 2018. She received the NSF GRFP, NSF AGS Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the American Association of Aerosol Research Friedlander Award. Jen’s research is currently funded by NSF AGS Atmospheric Chemistry and DOE Atmospheric System Research.

Education

  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 2015
  • MS, Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 2013
  • BS, Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, 2010

Research

Professor Jen researches chemical reactions that form and grow particles in the atmosphere. Her laboratory focuses on designing and building instruments to measure the composition of atmospheric aerosol particles, observing key atmospheric aerosol reactions in the field, isolating these atmospheric mechanisms for laboratory measurements, and developing models to explain laboratory and field observations. The research of her group falls into several broad categories: atmospheric nucleation, fundamental chemistry and physics of nanoparticles, and organic nitrogen emissions and reactions in the atmosphere. More information can be found on the research group's website.  

Publications

1) Jen, C. N., Hatch, L. E., Selimovic, V., Yokelson, R. J., Weber, R., Fernandez, A. E., Kreisberg, N. M., Barsanti, K. C., and Goldstein, A. H.: Speciated and total emission factors of particulate organics from burning western U.S. wildland fuels and their dependence on combustion efficiency, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2018-840, in review, 2018.
 
2) Jen, C. N., Liang, Y., Hatch, L. E., Kreisberg, N. M., Stamatis, C., Kristensen, K., Battles, J. J., Stephens, S. L., York, R. A., Barsanti, K. C. and Goldstein, A. H.: High Hydroquinone Emissions from Burning Manzanita, Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett., doi:10.1021/acs.estlett.8b00222, 2018.
 
3) Hatch, L. E., Rivas-Ubach, A., Jen, C. N., Lipton, M., Goldstein, A. H., and Barsanti, K. C.: Measurements of I/SVOCs in biomass-burning smoke using solid-phase extraction disks and two-dimensional gas chromatography, Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2018-863, in review, 2018.
 
4) Bertrand, A., Stefenelli, G., Jen, C. N., Pieber, S. M., Bruns, E. A., Temime-Roussel, B., Slowik, J. G., Goldstein, A. H., El Haddad, I., Baltensperger, U., Prévôt, A. S. H., Wortham, H. and Marchand, N.: Evolution of the chemical fingerprint of biomass burning organic aerosol during aging, Atmos Chem Phys Discuss, 2018, 1–33, doi:10.5194/acp-2017-1196, 2018.
 
5) Olenius, T., Halonen, R., Kurtén, T., Henschel, H., Kupiainen-Määttä, O., Ortega, I., Jen, C., Vehkamäki, H., Riipinen, I.: New particle formation from sulfuric acid and amines: comparison of mono-, di-, and trimethylamines. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos.,122: 7103-7118, doi: 10.1002/2017JD026501, 2017.
 
6) Bier, I. E., Panta, B., Hanson, D. R., Jen, C. N., McMurry, P. H.: Computational Fluid Dynamics Studies of a Flow Reactor: Formation of Sulfuric Acid Clusters with NH3 and Dimethyl Amine. J. Phys. Chem. A, 121 (20), 3976–3990, doi: 10.1021/acs.jpca.7b00252, 2017.
 
7) Elm, J., Jen, C. N., Kurtén, T., Vehkamäki, H.: Strong hydrogen bonded molecular interactions between atmospheric diamines and sulfuric acid. J. Phys. Chem. A, 20 (20), 3693-3700, doi: 10.1021/acs.jpca.6b03192, 2016.  
 
8) Jen, C. N., Zhao, J., McMurry, P. H., Hanson, D. R.: Chemical ionization of cluster formed from sulfuric acid and dimethylamine or diamines. Atmos. Chem. Phys.16, 12513–12529, doi:10.5194/acp-16-12513-2016, 2016.
 
9) Jen, C. N., Bachman, R., Zhao, J., McMurry, P. H., Hanson, D. R.: Diamine-sulfuric acid reactions are a potent source of new particle formation. Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 867–873, doi:10.1002/2015GL066958, 2016.
 
10) Jen, C. N., Hanson, D. R., McMurry, P. H.: Towards reconciling measurements of atmospherically relevant clusters by chemical ionization mass spectrometry and mobility classification/vapor condensation. Aerosol Sci. and Tech., 49 (1), i-iii, doi:10.1080/02786826.2014.1002602, 2015.
 
11) Jen, C. N., McMurry, P. H., Hanson, D. R.: Stabilization of sulfuric acid dimers by ammonia, methylamine, dimethylamine, and trimethylamine, J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 119, 7502–7514, doi:10.1002/2014JD021592, 2014.
 
12) Hodshire, A., Lawler, M., Zhao, J., Ortega, J., Jen, C. N., Yli-Juuti, T., Brewer, J., Kodros, J., Barsanti, K. C., Hanson, D. R., McMurry, P. H., Smith, J. N., Pierce, J. R.: Multiple new-particle growth pathways observed at the US DOE Southern Great Plains field site. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 9321-9348, doi:10.5194/acp-16-9321-2016, 2016. 
 
13) Glasoe, W. A., Volz, K., Panta, B., Freshour, N., Bachman, R., Hanson, D. R., McMurry, P. H., Jen, C. N.: Sulfuric acid nucleation: an experimental study of the effect of seven bases. J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., 120: 1933–1950. doi: 10.1002/2014JD022730, 2015. 
 
14) Bzdek, B. R., Horan, A. J., Pennington, M. R., DePalma, J. W., Zhao, J., Jen, C. N., Hanson, D. R., Smith, J. N., McMurry, P., Johnston, M.: Quantitative and time-resolved nanoparticle composition measurements during new particle formation. Faraday Discuss., 165, 25-43, doi: 10.1039/C3FD00039G, 2013.
 
15) Chen, M.; Titcombe, M.; Jiang, J.; Jen, C. N.; Kuang, C.; Fischer, M. L.; Eisele, F. L.; Siepmann J. I.; Hanson, D. R; Zhao, J.; McMurry, P. H.: Acid–base chemical reaction model for nucleation rates in the polluted atmospheric boundary layer. PNAS, 109 (46), 18713-18718, doi:10.1073/pnas.1210285109, 2012.
 
16) Shapiro, E. L., Szprengiel, J., Sareen, N., Jen, C. N., Giordano, M. R., and McNeill, V. F.: Light-absorbing secondary organic material formed by glyoxal in aqueous aerosol mimics, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 2289-2300, doi:10.5194/acp-9-2289-2009, 2009.

Awards and Honors

  • American Association for Aerosol Research Sheldon K. Friedlander Award, 2018
  • National Science Foundation AGS Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2015-2017
  • University of Minnesota- Twin Cities Best Dissertation Award, Honorable Mention, 2016
  • University of Minnesota- Twin Cities Dissertation Fellowship, 2014-2015
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, 2011-2014
  • Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Scholarship, 2010-2012