Hi there, I'm Marije van den Born, a 26-year-old PhD researcher based in Groningen, the Netherlands. I hold a bachelor's degree in chemistry. Following my graduation, I pursued a master's degree in Energy and Environmental Sciences at the University of Groningen, seeking to expand my expertise in environmental matters. 

A year after completing my master's degree, I returned to the University of Groningen to start my PhD as part of the CAINA team. My research project is centered on the topic of new particle formation in the atmosphere. To investigate this phenomenon, I'll be utilizing advanced mass spectrometry and particle counting techniques available at both the University of Cyprus and the Ruisdael Observatory. Throughout my project, I will look into the fundamental processes that lead to the formation of cloud condensation nuclei in nitrogen-rich atmospheric conditions. 

Within a new international collaborative research project on understanding the interactions between atmospheric aerosol and clouds (CAINA), Pascale will work on the measurement and modeling of nitrate aerosol formation, transformation, transport, and deposition, including the study of organonitrate and brown carbon (BrC) formation, and the role of (organo)nitrates in cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) formation. During the research Pascale will expand her expertise in field measurements of gas and aerosol using the Metrohm Monitor for Aerosols and Gases in the Atmosphere (MARGA) and gas-phase NOx and NOy measurements. The work will incorporate field work as well as laboratory chamber experiments at the AIDA chamber in Germany. 

Hi! My name is Willem Kroese and I am a PhD candidate at Utrecht University. Before starting in Utrecht, I studied Astronomy at Leiden University and Geoscience & Remote Sensing at TU Delft. My previous research has focused on studying aerosol-cloud interactions using satellite remote sensing of aerosol and cloud properties. 

My current research within CAINA is focused on secondary organic aerosol formation pathways in cloud droplets. We study aqueous phase reactions of organics and nitrates in both the lab and the field. I'm also interested in nitrogen deposition after cloud processing of aerosols. 

In our lab in Utrecht we operate two Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitors (ACSM) and three Proton-Transfer-Reaction Mass-Spectrometers. I'm in charge of taking long-term measurements using ACSM and analysing aerosol filter and cloud water samples using PTR-MS. I combine the aerosol measurements with data of meteorological parameters.

I, Namita Sinha, have completed my M.Tech degree in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences & Technology from Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi, India. I learned about weather and climate and how to measure and analyse atmospheric data in my M.Tech program. My thesis analyses aerosols, especially Black Carbon, and their impact on cloud formation and monsoon precipitation. I attended the AGU Fall - 2022 conference and was honoured with the competitive student travel grant. My research also had been shortlisted for the prestigious Precipitation Award.

In the CAINA project, I will study aerosol-cloud interaction in the boundary layer in different meteorological regimes, using a combination of ground-based remote sensing instruments, such as radars, radiometers and lidars. With the radars cloud properties are studied. Dynamics and lidar measurements will be used to obtain aerosol properties and water vapour. By combining these data with 3D simulations, I will aim at understanding what the dominant parameters are in the interaction between polluted air and clouds.

Hi! I’m Jinglan Fu from the University of Groningen. My research project focuses on secondary organic aerosol formation from volatile organic compounds mainly in aqueous phase aerosols and cloud droplets. Together with the CAINA team we are trying to answer how liquid droplets and clouds are going to influence the chemical composition of the aerosols, especially under a high nitrogen-containing atmosphere.

I am operating simulation chamber experiments in the AIDA chamber in Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. In order to characterize the physical, optical and chemical properties of the aerosol and trace gases, multiple instruments are deployed. Among them I am mainly operating an aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) and a FIGAERO-I-CIMS that characterize the composition of organics in both gas and particle phases in real time. Together with the field campaigns and models, we hope to get a better understanding of the typical aerosols in the Dutch atmosphere.

Hello, my name is Laurie Novák, and I am a 26-year-old PhD candidate at Wageningen University and Research. After my bachelor’s in chemistry at the Radboud University, I became interested in the chemistry and quality of the atmosphere. Therefore, I pursued a Master’s degree in Meteorology & Air Quality at WUR. 

In my PhD, I am looking forward to dive further into atmospheric chemistry and modelling as part of the CAINA team. My research focusses on modelling of aerosol-aqueous phase chemistry in clouds and the effect this will have on cloud microphysics and aerosol processing. Building on the experimental data obtained by my colleagues, we will update a Large Eddy Simulation model with in-cloud chemistry. With this, we aim to provide new insights on the contribution of clouds in aerosol processing in the nitrogen-rich atmosphere above the Netherlands.