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Sarah Steimer Assistant Professor
Contact
Name and title: Sarah SteimerAssistant Professor
ORCID0000-0002-1955-9467 Länk till annan webbplats.
Workplace: Department of Environmental Science Länk till annan webbplats.
Visiting address Room V211Svante Arrheniusväg 8 C, Geohuset
Postal address Institutionen för miljövetenskap106 91 Stockholm
About me
My research focusses on investigating the sources, transformations and health impacts of ambient air pollution. I am particularly interested in the question of which airborne particles are the most detrimental to human health and how this relates to their chemical composition.
It is well established that exposure to ambient particulate matter can lead to negative health effects. However, the underlying mechanisms are still not completely understood and there is a lot of uncertainty regarding which particles are the most toxic and why (differential toxicity). To study this, we are not only comparing particles from different sources, but also look at how atmospheric processing changes different particle properties including toxicity. One main tool I am using in my research are acellular assays, which have been developed as a cell-free alternative to traditional in-vitro methods. In addition, I use various state-of the art mass spectrometers to determine particle composition. You can find more detailed information about currently ongoing projects in the “Research” tab below.
If you would like to know more about my work or are interested in joining my group for a thesis project or a research internship, please don’t hesitate to send me an email.
I am currently responsible for the courses "Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics" and "Air Quality from Emission to Impacts".
In addition, I teach a section about air quality management as part of the course "Miljöskyddsteknik" (Environmental technology), and I am responsible for the atmosphere-related fieldwork in the course "Environmental Field Studies".
At the moment, most of my work is focused on non-exhaust emissions from traffic, especially brake wear. Due to improved exhaust aftertreatment techniques and continuing electrification of the vehicle fleet, emissions from vehicle exhaust are decreasing. In contrast, non-exhaust emissions such as brake and tire wear remain. Ongoing research in my group in this area includes:
- Emission of gaseous compounds from brake wear and their potential to form secondary aerosols. Here, we are using state-of the art on-line mass spectrometers to identify the gases emitted from the braking process. In addtion, we use an oxidation flow reactor to study the impact of photooxidative aging.
- Organic compounds in brake wear particles. Many studies have investigated the content of metals in brake wear particles, while much less is known about the organic constituents.
- Oxidative potential of non-exhaust emissions
- Quantification of tire wear particles (Master's project)
In addition, I am currently collaborating with colleagues from SU, KI and KTH on a project where we are studying the emission, composition and toxicity of ultrafine particles from airports. We recently completed a field campaign at Arlanda airport, where we not only measured the concentrations of ultrafine particles in-situ, but also collected particles for later chemical and toxicological analysis.
I am currently also supervising a second Master's project on the thermal degradation products of high-performance polymers.
Forskningsprojekt