Sonia M. Kreidenweis – University Distinguished Professor
Phone: 970-491-8350
Email: sonia@atmos.colostate.edu
Research and teaching website
Publications
Education
- Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering – 1989 – California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
- M.S. in Chemical Engineering – 1985 – California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
- B.S. in Chemical Engineering – 1983 – Manhattan College – Riverdale, NY
Career Overview
Dr. Sonia M. Kreidenweis is a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University. She received her B.S. in chemical engineering from Manhattan College and her M.S. and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Prior to joining CSU in 1991, she was an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at San Jose State University and served as a consultant in aerosol and chemical interactions in the atmosphere at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Her research focuses on characterization of the physical, chemical, and optical properties of atmospheric particulate matter, and the effects of the atmospheric aerosol on visibility and climate. A particular focus area is the characterization of aerosol interactions with water vapor. She has conducted field studies in several U.S. national parks to establish the sources and characteristics of particulate matter responsible for visibility degradation, with a recent focus on the impacts of prescribed and wild fires. Ongoing laboratory and field studies have investigated the role of particles and of individual compounds found in particulate matter in the nucleation of cloud droplets and ice crystals, and the effects of aerosols on cloud microphysics, precipitation, and climate. Prof. Kreidenweis is a past president of the American Association for Aerosol Research and also served on the executive committee of the American Meteorological Society. She is a Fellow of the American Association for Aerosol Research, American Meteorological Society, and American Geophysical Union. She was named a University Distinguished Professor in 2014.
Teaching Interests
- Atmospheric chemistry
- Aerosol chemistry and physics
- Thermodynamics and cloud physics
- Air pollution
Research Interests
- Tropospheric chemistry
- Aerosol dynamics
- Aerosol-cloud-climate interactions
- Visibility
Research Sponsors
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Park Service (NPS)
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP)
Awards, Honors, and Positions
- Interim Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs, Colorado State University, appointed June 2022
- Executive Associate Dean, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering, appointed December 2021
- Fellow, American Geophysical Union, inducted December 2019 (lifetime)
- Research Associate Dean, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering, 2015-2021
- Interim Associate Dean for Research, College of Engineering, appointed January 2015
- Colorado State University, University Distinguished Professor, granted April 2014
- Fellow, American Association for Aerosol Research, inducted October 2010 (lifetime); Vice President, President, and Immediate Past President (2002-06); Annual Meeting Conference Chair (2000)
- Fellow, American Meteorological Society, inducted January 2011 (lifetime)
- Fellow, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, January 1995 – present (renewable)
- Director of the Telluride Science Research Center (2010-present) and member of Development Committee (2011-present)
- Associate Editor, Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems (JAMES)
- 2008 George T. Abell Outstanding Teaching and Service Faculty Award, Colorado State University College of Engineering
- 2005 Editors’ Citation for Excellence in Refereeing for Geophysical Research Letters
- Colorado State University, Department of Atmospheric Science, Professor of the Year 2005 (awarded by graduate students)
- USRA / Goddard Space Flight Center Visiting Fellow Award, 1999
- CSU Engineering Dean’s Council Award, Spring 1995
- Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, 1993