The Seminar will take place at the Conference Auditorium of the Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (FORTH/ICE-HT), Stadiou str.-Platani Patras, on Friday, April 9, 2025 (12.00).

Speaker: Spyros Pandis, Professor Chemical Engineering Department, the University of Patras

The Seminar will be in English.

Seminar abstract: The human development of our planet has a variety of negative impacts on the composition of its atmosphere at every scale – locally, regionally, and even globally. One of these dramatic changes has been the increase in the mass concentrations of sub-micrometer particles by one to sometimes two orders of magnitude over populated areas in the Northern Hemisphere. These atmospheric aerosols can cause serious health problems, reduce visibility, contribute to acidic deposition and material damage, but are also cooling the planet by reflecting sunlight back to space. Atmospheric chemistry occurs within a fabric of complicated atmospheric dynamics and physics. This interplay often results in nonlinear and often counterintuitive changes of the system when anthropogenic emissions change. A major goal of our research has been to gain a predictive understanding of the physical and chemical processes that govern the dynamics, size, and chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols. To illustrate the advances in the experimental techniques and theoretical tools in atmospheric aerosol science we will go back to the beginning of the 21^st century and we will revisit the design a particulate matter control strategy for the Eastern US based on the data, knowledge and tools available at the time. We will then look at the effects of the parts of this control strategy that have been materialized and their effects on public health. Finally, we will look forward in ways of further improving air quality in the developed world.

Short bio Spyros Pandis is Professor in the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of Patras in Greece and co-director of the Center for Air Quality and Climater Change in the Foundation for Research and Technology, Hellas (FORTH). He received his PhD from the California Institute of Technology in 1991 and joined the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University in 1993 and of the University of Patras in 2004. His research includes theoretical and experimental studies of atmospheric chemistry as it relates to urban and regional pollution and topics related to global climate change. Prof. Pandis has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers, and he is the author together with Prof. Seinfeld of “Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics” a textbook that is widely used around the world. He has been awarded the Fuchs Award by the International Aerosol Research Assembly, the Whitby and Sinclair Awards by the American Association for Aerosol Research, the Cecil Award in Environmental Engineering by the American Institute of Chemical Engineering, the Bjerkness Medal by the European Geophysical Union, and the CAREER award by the US National Science Foundation. He has been the recipient of the Elias Chair in Carnegie Mellon University, the Kun Li award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering education, and the Benjamin Teare and University of Patras awards for Excellence in Engineering education.