Grant: Canada Research Chairs

The worldwide pandemic increased our awareness of the need for safe, clean air. As Canada Research Chair in Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Dr. Tara Kahan’s proposed program will focus on indoor air quality (IAQ) and atmospheric surfaces. Her indoor chemistry research will deploy novel portable gas and particle sensors in occupied buildings to obtain real-time information about the effects of human activities such as cooking and cleaning on IAQ. Canadians will benefit from this work through transdisciplinary collaborations that employ chemical measurements, toxicological assays, exposure risk assessment, and science communication in community-engaged studies. Dr. Kahan will use her novel surface-sensitive measurement techniques to acquire data to create a model to accurately predict the fate and impact of pollutants in Northern regions. She will also expand the use of these techniques to surfaces common in cities, such as building materials. She will characterize the chemical composition and physical properties of these surfaces at the microscopic level and will relate these finding to observed reactions at these surfaces. Canadians will benefit from this work through collaborations with chemists and toxicologists to relate processes that occur at environmental surfaces in cities to air and water quality.