For Journalists

For Journalists

Have questions? We have experts and answers. Choose a buzzword to see experts on that topic or browse the listing below.
Experts
Kev Abazajian
Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Physics & Astronomy
kevork@uci.edu
Can speak to:
Shane Ardo
Professor of Chemistry
Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science
Chemistry
ardo@uci.edu
(949) 824-3796
Researches using solar energy to generate clean fuels, and solar-powered desalination of ocean water.
Can speak to:
Christopher P J Barty
Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Professor - School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Member - Beckman Laser Institute and Medical Clinic
Physics & Astronomy
cbarty@uci.edu
(949) 544-1069
Wants to use Blu-ray disc lasers to kill viruses.
Can speak to:
Elizabeth N Bess
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry
elizabeth.bess@uci.edu
(949) 824-1473
Scientists don't fully know why some foods are healthy and others aren't — Bess wants to find out.
Can speak to:
Donald R Blake
Professor of Chemistry
Professor of Earth System Science
Chemistry
drblake@uci.edu
(949) 824-4195
Researching the impacts of the pandemic on air quality.
Can speak to:
James S Bullock
Dean, School of Physical Sciences
Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Phys Sci Deans Office
bullock@uci.edu
(949) 824-6022
Studies our home galaxy — the Milky Way — to better understand how galaxies in general form and evolve. “Here’s a question I’ve been thinking a lot about: Why are most big galaxies in the universe shaped like disks?” Bullock said.
Can speak to:
David William Casper
Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Physics & Astronomy
dcasper@uci.edu
(949) 312-1864
Designed a new particle detector called FASER that may life the veil on one of the Universe's most elusive mysteries: dark matter. “We’re gambling on something where, if we do win, it’ll be a big, big win," Casper said.
Can speak to:
Franklin Dollar
Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Physics & Astronomy
fdollar@uci.edu
(949) 414-7110
Dollar's an expert on laser optics and plasma physics and fusion.
Can speak to:
Jonathan Lee Feng
Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Physics & Astronomy
jlf@uci.edu
(949) 824-9821
Feng's helping lead the UCI FASER particle detector project at CERN. It's a new project, and, if it's successful, it could subvert the standard model of physics.
Can speak to:
Barbara J Finlayson-Pitts
Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
Director of AirUCI Institute
Chemistry
bjfinlay@uci.edu
(949) 824-7670
Studies particles in the atmosphere, an how they relate to air quality and climate change.
Can speak to:
Kathleen Rose Johnson
Professor of Earth System Science
Earth System Science
kathleen.johnson@uci.edu
(949) 824-6174, 1060
Researches climate change in the deep past, looking at ancient chemicals preserved in caves in places like Laos in order to reconstruct past climates.
Katherine Mackey
Associate Professor of Earth System Science
Earth System Science
kmackey@uci.edu
Mackey studies the boundary between the living and the nonliving worlds. She wants to know how those two worlds define one other, as things like aquatic microorganisms can alter the chemistry of the water they live in, and vice versa.
Can speak to:
Rachel Martin
Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry
rachel.martin@uci.edu
(949) 824-7959
Martin's lab is developing anti-viral treatments by tracking, among other things, genetic mutations in coronavirus.
Can speak to:
Roberto Pelayo
Associate Teaching Professor of Mathematics
Mathematics
rcpelayo@uci.edu
Pelayo leads Latinx education outreach at Physical Sciences. "I have partnered with the Latinx resource center to create this thing, it’s entirely in Spanish, called 'Mermeladas de Estudio.' It’s Spanish for “study jams,” he said.
Can speak to:
Reginald M Penner
Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
Chancellor's Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Chemistry
rmpenner@uci.edu
Can speak to:
Eric Potma
Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry
epotma@uci.edu
(949) 824-9942
Potma studies optics and imaging, and some of his research research involved developing a camera that can "see" cancer when aimed at a patient.
Can speak to:
James T Randerson
Professor of Earth System Science
Chancellor's Professor of Earth System Science
Earth System Science
jranders@uci.edu
(949) 824-9030
Randerson studies climate change, and also wildfires. “I am currently working on a proposal for NASA to build a constellation of cubesats to detect wildfires and measure their rate of spread,” said Randerson. The work could help save lives, he explained.
Can speak to:
Eric Rignot
Professor of Earth System Science
Chair of Department of Earth System Science, Sr. Research Scientist, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Radar Science and Engineering
Earth System Science
erignot@uci.edu
Rignot's a glaciologist who studies ice in the Arctic and Antarctic, and how much ice in those places is melting as the planet warms.
Can speak to:
Aomawa L Shields
Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Physics & Astronomy
shields@uci.edu
Shields is on the hunt for exoplanets that might be harboring extraterrestrial life.
Can speak to:
Albert Siryaporn
Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Physics & Astronomy
asirya@uci.edu
(949) 444-2201
Siryaporn's developing a treatment for COVID-19 patients that uses "decoy" cells to lure virus particles away from a patient's actual cells.
Can speak to:
James N Smith
Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry
jimsmith@uci.edu
(949) 824-9518
Smith studies nano aerosols, and is leading the UCI Face Mask Project to determine what kinds of masks are best at deflecting virus particles.
Timothy M Tait
Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Physics & Astronomy
ttait@uci.edu
Tait studies particle physics and cosmology, with an eye on the possible existence of a so-called "fifth force," which, if found, could turn the whole field of physics on its head.
Can speak to:
Huolin Xin
Professor of Physics & Astronomy
Physics & Astronomy
huolin.xin@uci.edu
Xin envisions a future where planes no longer emit greenhouse gases, and astronauts on mars can make their own fuel to get back home.
Jenny Y Yang
Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry
j.yang@uci.edu
Yang researches the chemistry behind the capture and removal of carbon dioxide from the air and from flue gases emitted by fossil fuel plants.
Can speak to:

As seen in
Stories

The Arctic’s greening, but it won’t save us

The Arctic is getting greener as the climate warms — but it’s not greening fast enough to absorb very much carbon dioxide, Boston University and UC Irvine scientists find.

Apr 29, 2021

Can something the size of a few washing machines find the biggest thing in the universe?

UCI physicists have designed and built a new particle detector called FASER that could lift the veil on one of the universe’s most enduring mysteries.

Dec 7, 2020

UCI scientists decrypt key HIV transmission pathways

Understanding how HIV propagates in the body could help with the development of new treatments for the disease it causes — AIDS.

Apr 8, 2021

Press Releases

Findings could spur advancements in quantum computing and electronics.
Dec 6, 2024
More state forests are vulnerable to wildfire due to climate change.
Nov 18, 2024
Discovery enables manufacturing of ultrathin solar panels, advanced optoelectronics.
Oct 31, 2024

If you have questions, please contact our Sr. Science Writer, Lucas Joel, at ljoel@uci.edu