Ryan Sullivan

Professor, Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering
Graduate Program Chair, Chemistry
Associate Director, Institute for Green Science

Bio

Courtesy appointment:

• Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering

Education

Hon.B.Sc., University of Toronto, 2002
M.Sc., University of California, San Diego, 2006
Ph.D., University of California, San Diego, 2008
Postdoctoral Fellow, Colorado State University, 2009–2010

Research

Keywords: Aerosol science; atmospheric chemistry; droplet accelerated chemistry, environmental chemistry; physical chemistry; analytical chemistry; mass spectrometry; interfacial chemistry; mechanical engineering; environmental engineering; climate change; air pollution; aerosol-cloud-climate interactions; single-particle analysis; ice nucleation; heterogeneous kinetics; biomass burning; wildfires; phase separations; Raman spectroscopy; optical tweezers; microfluidics; heterogeneous catalysis; aqueous photochemistry, micropollutants; environmental contaminants; water purification; sustainable chemistry; pollutant remediation; chemical contaminants; human exposome; automated experiments

ResearcherID: B-4674-2008

Projects

Our research focuses on understanding the sources and chemical transformations of chemicals in the environment such that we can understand their persistence and transformation products, and their impacts on humans and the environment. This knowledge advances sustainable chemistry by identifying and evaluating molecular architectures that we predict will become persistent or harmful environmental contaminants, such that more sustainable alternatives can be developed. We seek to develop experimental methods that provide a comprehensive understanding of the environmental molecular lifecycle of synthetic chemicals that may become emerging environmental contaminants, focusing on abiotic aqueous transformations in aerosol particles and in sunlit natural waters driven by indirect photolysis (photooxidation). Identifying persistent transformation products is a major objective as these can have very different environmental chemical behavior and effects than their precursors. We engineer and evaluate new chemical approaches to destroy persistent micropollutants that contaminate our water resources such as using the unique chemistry of aerosols and the sustainable oxidation TAML catalysts invented in the Institute for Green Science and brought to market by our startup company, Sudoc. Through collaboration with materials chemists and engineers we apply our environmental chemistry understanding to develop and evaluate new sustainable polymers and chemicals to ensure they do not become persistent or harmful pollutants.

We have extensive expertise in the chemistry of atmospheric aerosol particles, focusing on mineral-containing particles in wildfire smoke and volcanic ash, and how transformations alters a particle’s ability to nucleate ice that significantly alters cloud microphysical properties. Aerosols are major players in driving air pollution and human health effects, and altering atmospheric radiation, clouds, and thus climate change. Using aerosol optical tweezers to study levitated droplets we explore the feedbacks between reactive gas uptake and changes in aerosol acidity, phase separations, and morphology that can alter further reactive uptake kinetics and chemical reactivity. Recently we have examined the aqueous photochemistry of aerosol particles such as of the light-absorbing brown carbon produced from biomass burning that can act as a photosensitizer that produces oxidants that drive chemical transformations. We combine engineering and physical/analytical chemistry approaches to develop new techniques to study individual particles using mass spectrometry, droplet microfluidics, and optical levitation.

My current course offerings of Environmental Science on a Changing Planet and Environmental Chemistry also support the interdisciplinary university-wide undergraduate program in Environmental & Sustainability Studies.

Publications

ORCID
Google Scholar

Appointments

Years	Position
2021–present	Professor of Chemistry & Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
2021–2022	Senior Fellow, Collegium Helveticum, joint Institute for Advanced Studies of ETH Zürich, the University of Zürich, and the Zürich University of the Arts
2021–2022	Visiting Professor, Institute for Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich
2017–2021	Associate Professor of Chemistry & Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
2012–2017	Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
2009–2011	Post-Doctoral Fellow and Research Scientist, Colorado State University

Awards and Distinctions

Years	Award
2022–2023	Provost’s Inclusive Teaching Fellow, Carnegie Mellon University
2019	Winner, Environmental Award, Carnegie Science Center
2018	Runner-up, Environmental Award, Carnegie Science Center
2018	Top Peer Reviewer in Cross-field, Publons 2018 global Peer Review Awards
2016	National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER)
2015	Editors’ Citation for Excellence in Refereeing for Geophysical Research Letters
2011	Cozzarelli Prize, National Academy of Science USA