Wendell W. Walters
Wendell Walters 2023[1]
Alma materUniversity of Maryland, College Park
Purdue University
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of South Carolina
Brown University
Thesis The nitrogen and oxygen stable isotopes of NOx and its oxidation products:implications for NOx source partitioning and assessing atmospheric oxidation chemistry  (2016)
Doctoral advisorGreg Michalski
Other academic advisorsAmy Mullin, Meredith Hastings

Wendell W. Walters is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of South Carolina. His focus is in analytical and environmental chemistry involving reactive nitrogen and sulfur in the atmosphere.[1]

Education and Career

Walters earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2012 followed by earning his Ph.D. in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University in 2016. He then completed postdoctoral research at Brown University for the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences in 2018.

Walters started his career as an assistant professor at Brown University in 2018 following his completion of postdoctoral research. From 2022 to 2023, he was a visiting assistant professor at the US EPA Office of Research and Development. He then became an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of South Carolina in 2023.

Research

The Walters research group interests are the connections between atmospheric chemistry, the environment, and climate.[1] Natural and anthropogenic activities have changed the environment from emissions and the chemistry involving trace gases and aerosols.[1] Examples of these activities are volcanic emissions, wildfires, fossil fuel combustion, and agriculture.[1] The goal of the research is to quantify the impacts of both natural and anthropogenic effects on atmospheric chemistry and composition, while also examining the consequences it has on the environment, climate, and human health.[1] The research includes different environment and conditions, such as urban and polar regions. [1]

Overview of the connections between emission sources and chemical cycles of various compounds in Earth's atmosphere.

Research Themes:

This research involves stable isotope measurements and advanced instrumentation of high resolution and/or high-density concentration measurements. Their approach include field measurements, experiments, theoretical considerations, instrumentation development, and modeling utilizing both concentration and stable isotopes.

Some of the group projects include:

Emission and Regulation Feedbacks on Atmospheric Chemistry[2] [3]- Nitrate and sulfate aerosols have not decreased as much as expected, even with the NOx and SOx reductions. The Walters research group wants to examine the sulfate and nitrate aerosol production mechanisms and how the rates have changes with emission regulations.

Development of New Instrumentation for Air Quality Studies - The research group is currently developing instrumentation for high-resolution measurements of stable isotopes of reactive nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon gases. The new instrumentation will be used for field and aircraft air quality and climate campaigns, such as a controlled biomass burn and marine atmospheric chemistry.

Schematic of sulfur cycling in the atmosphere.

Chemistry/Climate Interactions Inferred from Ice Cores[4] - The interaction between nitrogen oxides and climate forcings is not well understood, but they could be helpful for returning the atmosphere to its natural state. The Walters research group wants to examine the connections between climate change and atmospheric chemistry. They are aiming to create a new method to automate the decontamination of ice cores to evaluate paleoatmospheric chemistry.

New Stable Isotope Measurements Using High Resolution Mass Spectrometry - To examine the isotope measurements, the Walters research group uses two mass spectrometers. A magnetic sector (GC/IRMS) is the traditional oxyanion stable isotope measurements and isotope ratio mass spectrometer. The next generation of oxyanion stable isotope measurements is a HPLC/Orbitrap mass spectrometer.

Awards and Honors

During his career, he earned many awards, including;

Selected Publications

His publications include;

Group Members

P.I. Dr. Wendell W. Walters

Postdoctoral Students: Huan Fang

Graduate Students: Adam Baer, Olivia Steinbeck, Meghan Weatherly

Undergraduate Students: Mia Goedken

Grants Received

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Wendell W. Walters - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry | University of South Carolina". sc.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  2. ^ "Project Grant 2414561". govtrribe.com. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  3. ^ "Assessment of Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ) Representation of Spatiotemporal Atmospheric Nitrate Chemical Production in New England". nsf.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  4. ^ "Quantifying Natural and Anthropogenic Influences on Nitrogen Oxides Emissions and Chemistry". nsf.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  5. ^ a b c "External Grant Awards - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry | University of South Carolina". sc.edu.