Erik Helstrom
Erik Helstrom is a PhD candidate in civil and environmental engineering whose research explores the atmospheric oxidation of organic compounds with a focus on the formation of fine particulate matter (PM). Supported by a MathWorks Fellowship, Erik will pursue several innovative projects in instrument development and laboratory oxidation, including the development of a total suspended organic carbon instrument for laboratory use; comprehensive comparison of different mass spectrometric measurements of PM composition; measurement of various reactive nitrogen species; and use of a series of explicit chemical model simulations and laboratory experiments to survey the relationship between peroxy radical (RO2) chemistry and the properties of organic PM. Erik’s research, which draws on a number of MathWorks tools, such as the Framework for 0-D Atmospheric Modeling, provides a suite of novel analytical techniques that are advancing the study of atmospheric chemical mechanisms. The use of these tools in laboratory experiments could develop new insights into the evolution of reactive organic carbon, in particular, the formation and transformation of PM in differing atmospheric conditions.