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Current members of the O'Brien Group
Current members of the O'Brien Group
Top row: Holden Schoenherr, Corin Tyler, Janie (Yaesul) Kim, Adam Nix
Bottom row: Rachel O'Brien, Joe Berberich, Xu He, Willow Hwang
Members of the O'Brien Group
Members of the O'Brien Group
Rachel O'Brien
Rachel O'Brien
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor
Education: B.A., Grinnell College 2004, Chemistry; Ph.D. UC Berkeley 2012, Chemistry
Contact: reobrien@umich.edu
Rachel's research interests include analysis of complex organic mixtures in the atmosphere and indoors. Her graduate work focused on characterizing secondary organic aerosol composition with ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry. In her first postdoc (LBNL) she imaged aerosol particles with soft x-rays and for her second postdoc (MIT) she used aerosol mass spectrometry to characterize transformations in aerosol particles and rainwater. She joined the W&M faculty in 2017 and then moved to the CEE department at UMich in Fall 2022. She enjoys reading, knitting, swimming, and hiking.
Janie (Yeaseul) Kim
Janie (Yeaseul) Kim
Graduate Student (3rd year)
Graduate Student (3rd year)
Education: B.S., Kyungpook National University, South Korea 2022, Oceanography
Contact: janieyk(at)umich(dot)edu
Janie studies biomass-burning organic aerosols (BBOA) from wildfires, focusing on how photolysis alters their chemistry during transport and after they arrive in urban areas. Her work investigates smoke films that form when particles deposit onto outdoor and indoor surfaces. Outside the lab, she enjoys running and the gym.
Xu He
Xu He
Graduate Student (3rd year)
Graduate Student (3rd year)
Education: B.S., North China University of Technology, China 2015, Engineering; M.S., Northeastern University, 2022, Environmental Engineering.
Contact: hexu(at)umich(dot)edu
Xu is currently characterizing organic aerosols collected during the AEROMMA field campaign in New York City in 2023. His future research will focus on specific classes of organic aerosols, particularly organonitrate species. Outside of research, he enjoys playing sports such as badminton and table tennis, working out, and cooking.
Joe Berberich
Joe Berberich
Graduate Student (2nd year)
Graduate Student (2nd year)
Education: B.A., Colgate University, 2024, Chemistry & Geography
Contact: joeberb(at)umich(dot)edu
Joe's current research investigates organic surface film extraction efficiencies in indoor and outdoor spaces. Future work will focus on quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) oxidative fates and reaction products. He likes Michigan sports (football and hockey), playing board games, and cooking.
Adam Nix
Adam Nix
Masters Student (2nd year)
Masters Student (2nd year)
Education: B.S., U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 2022, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
Contact: arnix(at)umich(dot)edu & adam.r.nix(at)uscg(dot)mil
A sponsored student from the U.S. Coast Guard, Adam's research focuses on exploring aerosol emissions associated with the maritime industry and the AEROMMA campaign, specifically focusing on the measurement of potential bicarbonate from scrubber systems in urban aerosols. Adam acts as the lab's safety and environmental health point of contact. Outside of classes and research, he enjoys soccer, running and biking, 3D printing, classic literature, and tabletop miniatures games.
Willow Hwang
Willow Hwang
Undergraduate Student (Junior)
Undergraduate Student (Junior)
Education: BSE, University of Michigan, Environmental Engineering
Contact: hwanghj(at)umich(dot)edu
Willow's research examines how outdoor urban surfaces, like plastics, influence the photolysis-driven aging of biomass-burning organic aerosol. In the future, she aims to compare BBOA extraction efficiency using different solvents and laboratory methods (sonication) to optimize sample preparation. Outside the lab, her hobbies include tennis, soccer, and drawing.
Holden Schoenherr
Holden Schoenherr
Undergraduate Student (Sophomore)
Undergraduate Student (Sophomore)
Education: BSE, University of Michigan, Civil Engineering & Environmental Engineering
Contact: holdenws(at)umich(dot)edu
Holden's current research focuses on the characterization of complex indoor and outdoor surface films. He investigates how different processes, such as cleaning, cooking, and natural weather events, can impact the formulation of surface films. Outside of classes and research, he enjoys running, spending time with friends and family, cooking, and michigan sports.
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