Research
My research is focused on improving our understanding of urban air quality. I am motivated by the fact that air pollution causes adverse health effects, including illness and death, and by reducing air pollutant exposure, health and well-being can be improved. A novel component of my work is a focus on the indoor environment, where people spend the majority of their time. I am one of the leading researchers on the use of control technologies, and specifically on reducing infectious disease transmission using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation. I have also been a leader in investigating the influence that building characteristics have on indoor air quality including understanding housing conditions in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods and studying the microbiology in homes.
To date, my research program has been supported by the U.S. EPA and EPA Region 8, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, other non-profit organizations, and industry.
Current Research Projects
- : Measuring Passive Exposures to Pesticides - Two-year study funded by a CU Boulder Outreach Award and the City of Boulder
- Empowering Environmental Justice Communities with Smart and Connected Technology: Air and Noise Pollution, Social Relations and Wellbeing in Times of Disruption - Three-year study funded by the
- focusing on a Flexible Air-Quality Control System - Study funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Successful Aging in a Time of Wildfires - Study funded by the
- Far-UV Whole-Room (222 nm) and Upper-Room UV (254 nm) Surface and Air Disinfection
Selected Past Research Projects
- Climate Change Mitigation in Colorado
- Air Quality and Well-Being in Communities
- Passive House Design and Indoor Air Quality
- Impact of Diesel Buses on Downtown Boulder
- Improving Air-Handling Unit Performance
- Globeville Air Quality
- Microbiology of the Home
- Implementing a Negative-Pressure Isolation Ward
- Colorado Coarse Rural and Urban Sources and Health
- Denver Aerosol Sources and Health Study
- Upper-Room Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation