Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences

Education:

• B.S. Chemistry, University of Texas (Austin, TX), 2004
• Ph.D. Atmospheric Science, Texas A&M University (College Station, TX), 2020

Professional Experience:

• Lecturer, Department of Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences, Appalachian State University (Boone, NC), 2024-present
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Research Mentor, and Lecturer, Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI), 2020-2024

Research/Interests:

• Aerosol particle morphology and chemical composition (scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, Raman microspectroscopy)
• Activation of aerosol particles as cloud condensation nuclei

After earning a B.S. in Chemistry in 2004, Dr. Mirrielees taught high school science classes for six years in Texas. She decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science so that she could study the chemistry of aerosol particles. Her research continued at the University of Michigan, where she had the privilege of mentoring graduate students, undergraduate students, and high school students as research assistants. In addition to research, Dr. Mirrielees also taught General Chemistry at the University of Michigan.

Selected Publications:

Mirrielees, J.A., Kirpes, R.M., Haas, S.M., Rauschenberg, C.D., Matrai, P.A., Remenapp, A., Boschi, V.L., Grannas, A.M., Pratt, K.A., and Ault, A.P. (2022). Probing Individual Particles Generated at the Freshwater–Seawater Interface through Combined Raman, Photothermal Infrared, and X-ray Spectroscopic Characterization. ACS Measurement Science Au 2 (6), 605-619. DOI: 10.1021/acsmeasuresciau.2c00041

Chen, Q., Mirrielees, J. A., Thanekar, S., Loeb, N. A., Kirpes, R. M., Upchurch, L. M., Barget, A. J., Lata, N. N., Raso, A. R. W., McNamara, S. M., China, S., Quinn, P. K., Ault, A. P., Kennedy, A., Shepson, P. B., Fuentes, J. D., and Pratt, K. A. (2022). Atmospheric particle abundance and sea salt aerosol observations in the springtime Arctic: a focus on blowing snow and leads, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 15263–15285, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15263-2022

Mirrielees, J.A., Chen, B., Moreno, M.R., Brooks, S.D. (2021). What to Wear: The Filtration Performance of Alternative Materials Used to Construct Do-It-Yourself Masks. Aerosol Air Qual. Res. 21, 200633. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.200633

Mirrielees, J. A. and Brooks, S. D.: Instrument artifacts lead to uncertainties in parameterizations of cloud condensation nucleation. (2018). Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 6389–6407, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-6389-2018, 2018.