Dr. Jena Jenkins, Meteorology and Atmospheric Science

Advised by Dr. William Brune

I’ve been a post doc in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science for about a year, but I first came to the department in 2017 as a graduate student. Previously, I had been working as an analytical chemist supporting preclinical drug safety testing, so applying to graduate programs in the atmospheric sciences was an unusual career move. But it’s a move I’m glad I made.

 Jena generating sparks in the laboratory.

As a graduate student and now as a postdoc, my research has focused on how lightning and other electrical discharges in the atmosphere affect atmospheric chemistry and composition. In particular, I’m interested in the prodigious amounts of a molecule called hydroxyl radical generated by these discharges. The first step in removing many pollutants from the atmosphere is reaction with hydroxyl radical, so understanding all the sources of hydroxyl is key to understanding air quality. Most of my research is conducted in the laboratory, using a Tesla coil to generate different types of electrical discharges and laser-induced fluorescence to measure the resulting hydroxyl. But last summer I also went storm chasing in Texas and Louisiana to observe the hydroxyl-producing potential of electrical discharges in real thunderstorms.

Outside of the lab, I enjoy trying new arts and crafts, reading books from any genre, and meandering around campus and town.