William A. Lee Assistant Professor of ChemistryOffice: Tata Hall 1201Phone: 858-534-8972 Email: jhslade@ucsd.edu Education2015 Ph.D., Atmospheric Chemistry, State University of New York at Stony Brook (Stony Brook University)2009 M.Sc., Chemistry, Purdue University2007 B.Sc., Chemistry, Winthrop University Appointments2018-present Assistant Professor, Chemistry, University of California San Diego2015-2018 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Chemistry, Purdue University Awards and Academic Honors2018 William A. Lee Chancellor's Endowed Junior Faculty Fellow2015 Best Doctoral Thesis Award2015 Atmospheric Chemistry Colloquium for Emerging Senior Scientists (ACCESSXIII)2009 National Science Foundation Biosphere and Atmosphere Research and Training (NSF-BART) Summer Fellow Dr. Slade received his Ph.D. in Atmospheric Chemistry from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2015, where he received the department’s best doctoral thesis award. He was subsequently a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Chemistry at Purdue University, where he led an NSF project as Principle Investigator to study the role of organic nitrates in new aerosol particle formation. Dr. Slade’s primary research interests are in the area of air pollution and atmospheric chemistry. His research at UCSD will build upon his previous experience in chemical kinetics, multiphase chemistry, and aerosol–climate interactions to unravel the fundamental chemical and physical processes involved in the formation, evolution, and toxicity of atmospheric aerosols, with an emphasis on coastal urban environments. He will teach courses in analytical and atmospheric chemistry, as well as instrumental analysis. In addition, Dr. Slade has extensive experience in educational outreach activities. While at Purdue University, he developed an outreach program for high school students to study indoor and outdoor air quality, and was keynote speaker for the NSF Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) national meeting. He plans to engage in similar outreach activities at UCSD.
Graduate Students
Lincoln Mehndiratta
Ph.D. CandidateEmail: lmehndir@ucsd.eduHometown: Panipat, IndiaB.S./M.S. in Chemistry - IISER Mohali, India, 2018M.S. in Chemistry - IISER Mohali, India, 2020 Lincoln is a fifth year graduate student co-advised by Nate Slade and Vicki Grassian. He is interested in working with aerosols and their impacts on the environment. Other interests include beaches, hiking, sports and food.
Kanuri Roundtree
Ph.D. StudentEmail: kroundtree@ucsd.eduHometown: Hoover, AlabamaM.S. in Chemistry – University of California, San Diego, 2024 Kanuri is a third year graduate student with a background in nanoparticle, brown carbon, and aerosol chemistry. During her undergraduate career, she received the Bridges to Doctoral Institutions Fellowship to assist in investigating nanoparticles using thermal desorption chemical ionization mass spectrometry in 2021. She is passionate about the impact of aerosols and enjoys playing the guitar.
Diana Tran
Ph.D. StudentEmail: dit002@ucsd.eduHometown: Tacoma, WashingtonM.S. in Chemistry – University of California, San Diego, 2024 Diana is a third year graduate student with a background in wastewater-based-epidemiology (WBE). During her undergraduate career she received Honors in the major and was selected to be a part of the first cohort of Clare Boothe Luce Research scholars, a group focused on advocating for women in STEM. She is passionate on the application of chemistry to environmental problems. In her free time, she likes to play tennis, read, and sit on the beach.
Molly Hedin
Masters StudentEmail: mhedin@ucsd.eduHometown: San Diego, CAB.S. in Chemistry (Biochemistry Emphasis) – San Diego State University, 2024 Molly is a first-year graduate student with a background in computational physical chemistry. During her undergraduate studies, she worked under Dr. Andrew Cooksy in his physical chemistry research group; and participated in an outreach group to educate young students on the importance of math in fields of science. She is passionate about chemical research aimed to aid climate change, with an emphasis on ocean and atmospheric chemistry. She aims to be environmentally friendly both in and out of her career, with one of her hobbies being sustainable fashion.
Amelie Creekmore
Ph.D StudentEmail: acreekmore@ucsd.eduHometown: Santa Rosa, CAB.S. in Chemistry – University of Washington, 2024 Amelie is a first-year graduate student with a background studying indoor air quality (IAQ). During her time at UW, she worked with Dr. Dan Jaffe researching indoor chemical pollution sources and pursued her passion for teaching as a UW CLUE Chemistry tutor for undergraduates. She is interested in researching the photochemical reactions of gaseous UV filters and their SOA formation to assess their effects on air quality. Outside of the lab, she enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and camping.
Undergraduate Students
Rachel Tseng
Xitlali Ventura
Lab Pets
Eggs
Darla
Curious
Peppercorn
Coco The First
Coco The Second
Benji
Casserole
Lab Alumni
Maya Morris
Masters in Chemistry, 2024Thesis : Enrichment and Transfer Mechanisms of Organic Ultraviolet Filters in Sea Spray Aerosols. Currently working at Entorno law LLP as an Environmental Toxin Research Director.
Dr. Adam Cooper
Ph.D. in Chemistry, 2024Thesis: Interfacial Interactions of Organic Pollutants in the Marine Environment: Selective Transfer and Photo-Initiated Reactions Currently an air pollution chemist with the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District
Dr. Samantha Kruse
Ph.D in Chemistry, 2024Thesis: Utilizing Extractive Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry to Probe the Composition of Sea Spray Aerosol and the Photochemical Reaction Kinetics of Aerosol-Phase Bisphenol-A Currently a postdoctoral researcher at Sandia National Laboratories
Dr. Paul (Ryan) Tumminello
Ph.D in Chemistry, 2024Thesis: Viscosity of Marine Aerosols: Effects of Biological Activity, Size, Wind Speed, and Chemical Aging Currently a postdoctoral researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Allison Kawasaki
M.S. in Chemistry, 2022Thesis: Uptake Kinetics of a Pure α-pinene-derived Hydroxy Nitrate onto Seed Aerosol at Different Relative Humidity and Particle Acidity"
Cindy Tan
M.S. in Chemistry, 2022Thesis: Photodegradation and Heterogeneous OH Oxidation Kinetics and Product Analysis of Aerosolized Triclosan Mixed with NaCl and Humic Acid Currently a Renewable Energy Analyst with the UC Office of the President
Ben Carr
M.S. in Chemistry, 2023
Rachel Jiang
Former undergraduate student researcher
Sofia Ingersoll
Former undergraduate student researcher
Kun Wang
Former undergraduate student reseaercher
Karen Lopo-Zepeda
Former undergraduate student researcher and staff scientist.
Tobie Bloom
Former undergraduate student reseaercher
Julia Niehoff
Former summer SURP student. Pursuing B.S. at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Vanessa Valdez
Former summer SURP student. Pursuing B.S. at CSU Fullerton
Zhuoying Lin
Former undergraduate student researcher. Pursuing Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of California Los Angeles
Katy Belcher
Former summer SURP student. Currently an NIH PREP Scholar at the University of Michigan.
Isis Guadalupe Díaz
Former summer REU student. Pursuing B.S, in Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras
Isaac Canada
Former undergraduate student researcher. Pursuing career in air quality
Reece James
Former undergraduate student researcher. Pursuing Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
Mallory Small
Former graduate student researcher. Currently chemist I at a wastewater treatment plant
Tessa Tafuri
Tessa is a third year undergraduate student majoring in general chemistry with an interest in environmental chemistry. She is passionate about advancing sustainability through innovative research and taking steps to lessen the impact of climate change.
Aubrie Ackland
Former summer undergraduate research student, Aubrie is a third year student pursuing a B.S. in chemistry at the University of San Diego where she hopes to continue her students in a PhD program after graduation. She assisted in the beginning stages of calibrating analytical instruments for UV Filter aerosol transfer detection.
In Memoriam
Renee Niles
Ph.D. StudentHometown: Binghamton, New YorkB.S. in Chemistry - University of Rochester Renee studied the chemical and physical properties of respiratory aerosols generated from speech with implications for indoor air quality and transmission of pathogens. She was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in 2021.