Robert Griffin received his B.S. from Tufts University in 1993 and his M.S./Ph.D. from Caltech in 1997/2000 (all in chemical engineering). Between Tufts and Caltech, Dr. Griffin was a Research Assistant at Arthur D. Little, Inc. Previous academic appointments were held at Duke University and the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Griffin's research interests lie in performing field, laboratory, and computational experiments designed to understand the effects and behavior of pollutant species in the troposphere. These projects have been supported by TCEQ, EDF, the Houston Endowment, NSF, NASA, EPA, NOAA, HARC, EPRI, CARB, the Dreyfus Foundation, and the Coordinating Research Council. Dr. Griffin's previous work has been published in journals that include Science, Environmental Science and Technology, The Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres, Geophysical Research Letters, Atmospheric Environment, and The Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry. Dr. Griffin's teaching interests are focused on undergraduate courses in air pollution control and fluid mechanics and on graduate courses in atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric aerosols. He is a member of the American Association of Aerosol Research, the American Chemical Society, and the American Geophysical Union.
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Research Areas
Aerosol thermodynamics and chemistry, air pollution transport, atmospheric chemistry, regional air quality modeling, urban air quality
Education
Doctor of Philosophy, Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 2000
Master of Science in Chemical Engineering with Minor in Environmental Engineering Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 1997
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering , Tufts University, Medford, MA , 1993
Teaching Areas
Aerosol and Precipitation Chemistry/Atmospheric Particulate Matter (undergraduate/graduate)
Chemical Fate and Transport in the Environment (undergraduate)
Combustion and Air Pollution Engineering (graduate)
Energy and the Environment (undergraduate)
Fluid Mechanics (undergraduate)
Global Atmospheric Chemistry/Atmospheric Processes (undergraduate/graduate)
Introduction to Air Pollution Control (undergraduate/graduate)
Introduction to Civil/Environmental Engineering (air pollution section, undergraduate)
Readings in Atmospheric Science (graduate)
Societies & Organizations
American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR)
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Chemical Society
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP)
Honors & Awards
George R. Brown School of Engineering (Rice University), Teaching and Research Excellence Award, Spring 2019
Notable Paper Recognition, Aerosol Science and Technology, 2018
Advisor to student Fangzhou Guo, Best Student Paper Award, American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting, 2018
AWMA Graduate Student Scholarship, 2019
NASA Group Achievement Award, DISCOVER-AQ Science Team, Spring 2015
George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching (Rice University), Spring 2015
Invited Speaker, Biogenic Hydrocarbon Gordon Research Conference, Spring 2010
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Faculty Fellowship, 2007 (Summer 2008)
National Science Foundation Career Award Recipient, 2002
Biogenic Hydrocarbon Gordon Research Conference Early Career Scientist Award, 2000
Atmospheric Chemistry Colloquium for Emerging Senior Scientists, 1999
American Institute of Chemists Outstanding Senior Student, 1993
Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society (inducted 1991)