Faculty Directory

Asa-Awuku, Akua

Asa-Awuku, Akua

Professor
Associate Dean
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
4418 Stadium Drive Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building (090)

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology, Chemical Egineering, 2008

BACKGROUND

  • Water uptake of particles; characterizing thermodynamic properties governing droplet formation for air quality, health and climate impacts
  • Novel characterization of relevant primary and secondary organic aerosol; black carbon; chemical composition and effects on the health and the hydrological cycle
  • Experimental investigation of the formation of cloud droplets: the activation of organic Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) and its subsequent effects on climate

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • 2012 NSF CAREER
  • 2011 EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR)
  • 2009 NSF-Georgia Tech FACES Career Initiation Grant Recipient 
  • 2009 Atmospheric Chemistry Colloquium for Emerging Senior Scientists (ACCESS X)
  • 2008 NSF-Georgia Tech FACES Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • 2008 Camille and Henry Dreyfus Post Doctoral Scholar
  • 2005-7 NASA ESS (Earth Sun-System) Fellow, Georgia Institute of Technology

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR)
  • American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU)
  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
  • Air & Water Management Association (A&WMA)
  • American Meteorological Society (AMS)
  • Alpha Chi Sigma (AXE)
  • Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP)
  • European Geophysical Union (EGU)

 

 

Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month 2026

Recognizing three individuals who are dedicated to fostering an environment of belonging.

Air Quality Study on 2023 Canadian Wildfires Reports New Bacterial Toxin Spread Throughout U.S. East Coast

Aerosol research found presence of "Aeruginosins" in the air during days-long episode.

UMD Research to Study Aerosol Transmission of Respiratory Viruses

New study by Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering professors will investigate the correlation between weather conditions and the spread of airborne viruses.

Ambi Narula Honored with Pride and Advocacy Award

Presented by the LGBTQ+ Equity Center, the Pride and Advocacy Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership during the past year and made a positive impact on LGBTQ+ communities at the University of Maryland.

Celebrating Black History Month 2026

Black engineers contribute to our discipline in ways that inspire progress and service to the public good.

Fischell Institute community members judge College Park Academy’s 2025 Science Fair

All 390 CPA students completed a science project, while more than 30 were selected from their cohorts to present at the main science fair event.

Nahin Ferdousi-Rokib receives Graduate School’s Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award

Ferdousi-Rokib’s thesis research focuses on how particulate matter in the atmosphere, known as aerosols, influences cloud formation.

The Clark School Celebrates the Legacy and Impact of Black Engineers

At the A. James Clark School of Engineering, we honor the contributions of Black engineering trailblazers, whose accomplishments improve our society through innovation and leadership.

Celebrating Women's History Month

Women continue to shape history, including at the Clark School of Engineering. This month we celebrate those landmarks and the work necessary to forge them, and how it’s incumbent upon our larger community to assist in this work.

Fischell Institute Affiliate Fellow Spotlight: Akua Asa-Awuku

Asa-Awuku’s research expertise is in aerosol measurement and modeling; her lab has been instrumental in characterizing ambient particles, water uptake, and subsequent environmental fate.

ChBE Research Team Receives $600K NSF Grant

Akua Asa-Awuku and Taylor Woehl will study the interactions between organic vapor in the atmosphere and aerosols.

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