PRATHER, KIMBERLY
Professor
Research Interests
- Atmospheric Aerosols
- Aerosol-Cloud Interactions
- Air Pollution
- Air-Sea Exchange
- Atmospheric Chemistry
Degrees
- B.S. UC Davis 1985
- PhD UC Davis 1990
Websites
Bio
Dr. Kimberly Prather is a Distinguished Chair in Atmospheric Chemistry and a Distinguished Professor at UC San Diego, with joint appointments at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. She is the founding Director of two major research centers: the NSF Center for Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry of the Environment (CAICE) and the Meta-Institute for Airborne Disease in a Changing Climate. Both centers are focused on understanding the sources of aerosols and their wide-ranging effects on air quality, climate, and human health.
As an elected member of both the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), Dr. Prather is a global leader in atmospheric science. Her research group investigates how aerosols, particularly those originating from the ocean, impact clouds, climate, and human health through the release of gases and particles. They utilize the Scripps Ocean Atmosphere Research Simulator (SOARS) to replicate real-world conditions, such as temperature and wind, to study sea spray and secondary marine aerosol production. The group also conducts field studies to examine how polluted river and ocean waters affect air quality by releasing gases and potential airborne pathogens.
A significant focus of Dr. Prather's research group is to understand the role of bioparticles—such as viruses and bacteria—in the atmosphere, their sources, spatial distribution, and global transport pathways. Their work is crucial in unraveling how these bioparticles are linked to disease transmission via airborne pathways and how they influence climate and environmental health.
Dr. Prather’s research group is highly interdisciplinary, incorporating expertise from chemistry, engineering, microbiology, atmospheric science, oceanography, climate science, and public health. Students and researchers in her group are trained across these fields, equipping them with a diverse skill set to tackle large-scale environmental challenges related to climate change and health. By bridging these disciplines, her team aims to deepen our understanding of the complex interactions between aerosols, bioparticles, and their impacts on climate dynamics and airborne disease transmission, providing critical insights into the environmental and health challenges facing our world today.
List of Honors and Awards
- 2024 National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences
- 2023 – 2026 Peer Committee, Special Fields and Interdisciplinary Engineering, National Academy of Engineering
- 2023 Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest
- 2022 Pittsburgh Analytical Chemistry Award (PACA)
- 2022 Elected Fellow, American Philosophical Society
- 2021 – 2023 AGU College of Fellows Distinguished Lecturer
- 2020 Elected to the National Academy of Sciences
- 2020 ACS Frank H. Field and Joe L. Franklin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Mass Spectrometry
- 2019 Member, National Academy of Engineering: “For technologies that transformed understanding of aerosols and their impacts on air quality, climate, and human health.”
- 2019 Top 100 Power List, Analytical Scientist
- 2018 Chancellor’s Associates Excellence Award in Research in Science and Engineering
- 2017 Top 10 Public Defenders (Scientists Protecting People and the Planet), Analytical Scientist
- 2016 Philip B. Hopke Inaugural Lecture, Clarkson University
- 2016 Top 50 Women in the Analytical Sciences, The Analytical Scientist Power List of World Leaders
- 2015 Top “Environmental Science” publication in Environmental Science and Technology
- 2015 Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award Citation: “For her pioneering work that has transformed our understanding of atmospheric aerosols and their impacts on atmospheric chemistry, climate, and the hydrologic cycle. Her innovations in aerosol measurement techniques, contributions to aerosol science, and her commitment to training the next generation of researchers will have scientific impacts for years to come.”
- 2014 UC San Diego Faculty Research Lecturer
- 2012 American Chemical Society Eminent Scientist Lecturer
- 2012 Environmental Fellow of John Muir College
- 2011 American Chemical Society, San Diego, Distinguished Scientist of the Year