Atmospheric chemist develops, debugs and demonstrates exciting new technologies

March 29, 2010 — Miami — The University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science announced today that it has selected Jose L. Jimenez, Ph.D., as recipient of the 2010 Rosenstiel Award. An Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado, his work applies groundbreaking measurement techniques to atmospheric science, addressing critical questions regarding aerosols in our environment and their role in climate change and air quality. Among his many successes, Jimenez has been a key global player in making the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) the most widely used instrument for real-time analysis of aerosol size and composition. Besides pioneering multiple new techniques for measurement and data analysis with the AMS, Jimenez's research accomplishments include the initial application of high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry to the AMS, development of new data analysis software for these instruments, the discovery of the dominance of oxygenated species (OOA) in ambient organic aerosol, the development of eddy covariance flux measurements using the AMS, and the quantification of O/C, H/C, and N/C ratios for organic compounds from AMS observations. "This year a large group of outstanding young scientists were nominated for this award and Dr. Jimenez's selection is a testament to the quality of his science and the enormous impact of his work within the atmospheric chemistry community.