Research
Current Areas of Research
I joined the Atmospheric Chemistry Group of J.L. Collett at Colorado State University in early 2006. My research activities at CSU focus on:

* environmental monitoring;
* emissions, transport, gas-aerosol transformation, and deposition of atmospheric nitrogen species;
* chemical sensor technology and organic mass spectrometry; chemical marker analysis;
* interdisciplinary environmental databases, and integrated natural hazard assessment.

An analytical geochemist by training, I currently work principally on environmental chemical monitoring methods and analytical mass spectrometry. I maintain active research collaborations with domestic and international research groups in government, academia, industry and supranational agencies. I complement my work with an involvement in outreach activities, volunteer work for a non-profit charitable organisation, and mentoring of underrepresented students.

Current projects include:

* CSU's RoMANS study.
* Continuous monitoring of airborne ammonia in Wyoming.
* WOVOdat - global volcanic unrest database, by WOVO (World Organisation of Volcano Observatories).



Research Interests - Brief Overview

Atmospheric Chemistry & Geochemistry	* transport and deposition of inorganic and organic nitrogen and sulfur species. * emissions of ammonia, nitric acid, sulfur species and VOCs from CAFO. * natural sources of atmospheric organic trace gases (VOC, halocarbons). * organic instrumental geochemical method development (GC-MS, GC-TCD, GC-FID, SPME and SPTD etc.). * trace gas adsorption on solid substrates. * low-temperature aqueous geochemistry and signatures of deep crustal fluids. * biomarkers in rocks, solutions, gases. * trace organic compounds in ice. * experimental solubility and retention studies in chromatography. * geochemical methods applied to archaeology, archeometry. * history of chemistry and geochemistry. * laboratory techniques for rock sample preparation for wet chemical and instrumental analysis. * occupational safety issues and Dangerous Goods (DG) shipping (lab, field).
Volcanology	* organic chemistry of volcanic gases, prebiotic organic compounds / astrobiology. * multi-sensor diffuse flux mapping of subsurface hydrothermal reactions. * inorganic hydrothermal and volcanic gas chemistry. * paterae structures on Jupiter's moon Io. * remote spectroscopy of organic volcanic gas emissions (OP-FTIR) vs. gas sampling. * volcanic surveillance: Nisyros and Kos, Greece (see GEOWARN project of the EU). * environmental isotopes in hydrothermal systems (noble gas and stable isotopes). * pyroclastic stratigraphy & xenolith petrology (Pinatubo 1991 eruption).
Natural Hazards	* natural hazards of volcanic systems: global volcanic unrest database solutions (see WOVOdat project). * natural hazards of volcanic systems: volcanic unrest databases & on-line visualization, early warning systems, (see GEOWARN project of the EU). * natural hazards in alpine valleys: integrated hazard database & on-line visualization, early warning systems. * natural hazards assessment, integrated combined multi-parametric multi-hazard assessment procedures; visualization, georelational databases and graphical query design, public data dissemination policy issues.
Other Interests	* cyclic REE signatures in OIB time-series (Molokai, Hawaii). * structural geology, sedimentary processes and ophiolite petrology of suture zones (see 1998 paper).

Research Grants Awarded

2004	Swiss National Fund (ETH Zürich, Switzerland); co-PI (with L. Hurni, PI, and R. Gogu, co-PI; both ETH) CHF 80,059 (ca. US$ 63,0000) Correlated hazard assessment studies within an alpine valley: establishing a geo-spatial system for data management, modeling, visualisation, and analysis (HazTOOL).
2003	HazNETH (ETH Zürich, Switzerland); co-I (renewal) (with L. Hurni, PI, and R. Gogu, co-I; both ETH) CHF 100,000 (ca. US$ 67,000) Geo-Spatial Information System for Natural Hazards Assessment in Switzerland.
2002	HazNETH (ETH Zürich, Switzerland); co-I (with L. Hurni, PI, and R. Gogu, co-I; both ETH) CHF 100,000 (ca. US$ 67,000) Geo-Spatial Information System for Natural Hazards Assessment in Switzerland.
2001	Swiss Academy of Sciences, travel & analytical grant; PI CHF 5,000 (ca. US$ 3,300) Dioxins and Furans in Volcanic Gases.
1997 / 1999	Co-writer and writer, renewals and reports for a Swiss National Fund research grant to PI V. Dietrich (incl. salary for F. Schwandner). CHF 94,114 (ca. US$ 63,000) and CHF 92,300 (ca. US$ 62,000) Magmatic Volatiles: Inorganic and organic compounds in volcanic gases and their environmental impact.
1997	Freie Universität Berlin (Germany); GEOTITEL travel grant; PI DM 1,000 (ca. US$ 700) Geology of Poros Island, Greece.

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