Daniel Tkacik

Executive Director, Scott Institute, CMU

Tkacik (pronounced Ta-chick) has been at CMU since 2009, having earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in CMU's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. As a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, Tkacik's research focused on air pollution from combustion systems and helped advance the understanding of secondary organic aerosols -- microscopic airborne particles that form from the oxidation of organic (i.e. carbon-containing) vapors. From 2013-2014, he served as a postdoctoral researcher, traveling around the United States measuring methane emissions from natural gas facilities to gain a better understanding of greenhouse gas emissions from the natural gas sector.

From 2014 to 2022, Tkacik joined CMU's College of Engineering as a communications manager, leading the development of communications strategies and materials to elevate the stature and reputation of the College.

Prior to coming to CMU, Tkacik earned a B.S. in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from the Georgia Institute of Technology, conducting research on the properties of cloud condensation nuclei and the effects of cloud properties on global climate.