EPISODE 521: Peter DeCarlo, PhD – Drexel University – What can Kathmandu teach us about HomeChem?

Dr. Peter DeCarlo is an Associate Professor with appointment in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, and the Department of Chemistry at Drexel University. He is also an affiliate of the Urban Health Collaborative in the School of Public Health at Drexel University and an adjunct member of the Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. DeCarlo has a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Colorado, and a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame. He uses state-of-the-art instrumentation to measure the chemical composition of particulates and gases in indoors, outdoors, and in the laboratory to better understand the intersection between air quality, health, and climate impacts of human emissions. He has made air quality and climate related measurements from planes, trucks, and stationary sites all over the world to better understand direct emissions, sources, and subsequent chemical reactions of pollutants in the atmosphere. More recently Dr. DeCarlo has begun measuring the relationship between outdoor and indoor air pollutants, to understand transport of outdoor pollutants to the indoor environment, and to identify indoor specific sources such as residual tobacco smoke, and direct human emissions. He also is interested in the intersection of science and policy and was an AAAS Science Policy Fellow at the US EPA working on issues related to clean cookstoves in the developing world and public sharing of environmental data prior to starting his faculty position at Drexel. Funding for his research comes from the National Science Foundation, Sloan Foundation, Electric Power Research Institute, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, and the Department of Transportation. Dr. DeCarlo has co-authored over 80 peer reviewed publication and has been identified as a highly cited researcher by Clarivate Analytics (2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017).