Dr. Alan Gertler

Title: Research Professor
Affiliation: Division of Atmospheric Sciences
Location: DRI Reno
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Phone: 775.674.7061
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Professional Interests

Dr. Gertler's research includes both laboratory and field studies of atmospheric chemistry with particular emphasis on the impact of mobile sources on the environment.  His research at DRI has included characterization of factors affecting the rate and mechanism of SO₂ and NO_x oxidation in the atmosphere, wet and dry deposition processes, studies of chemical processes leading to "gas-to-particle" conversion, the effects of acids and their precursors on materials, fog and cloud droplet characterization, trace analysis of pollutants in air and water samples, and development of quality assurance procedures to ensure accuracy of wet and dry deposition data.  In addition, he has investigated discrepancies between observed and predicted automotive emission factors, performed on-road measurements of CO, NO_x, speciated NMHC, dioxin, furan, PAHs, and organic and inorganic speciated PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ emissions from on-road vehicles.

His current research includes the development of a microscopic chemical imaging technique to characterize particulates and bioaerosols, transboundary transport of pollutants, measurements and characterization of mobile source PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 emissions, assessing the impact of highways on ambient gaseous and particulate pollutant levels, development of new methods to attribute observed PM levels to specific sources, assessing the magnitude and sources of atmospheric deposition in the Lake Tahoe basin, and the use and impact of alternative fuels for transportation and power generation.  Dr. Gertler is currently the project manager for the Nevada Renewable Energy Consortium and has recently served as the track leader for the SENSORS component of the Nevada NSF EPSCoR project, principal investigator for the NREL-sponsored Hydrogen Deployment and Safety in Transportation Applications and Renewable Energy Hydrogen Based System for Off-Grid Applications projects, source attribution component of the USAID-sponsored Cairo Air Improvement Project, World Bank/NREL sponsored Hyderabad Source Apportionment Study, NCHRP-supported Road Sanding and Salting Effects on PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 Emissions by On-Road Vehicles, and the SERDP-sponsored Development and Validation of a Predictive Model to Assess the Impact of Coastal Operations on Urban Scale Air Quality.
 
Background experience includes studies in photo-induced nucleation, photo-physical processes of molecules, and static and dynamic properties of liquid drops.

Research Areas

• Atmospheric Chemistry
• Ambient Air and Source Sampling
• Chemical and Physical Analysis
• Modeling and Impact Assessment
• Quality Assurance