Kerri Pratt

Meet Kerri Pratt

Early inspiration 
As soon as I began analytical/physical chemistry research as an undergraduate, I was hooked. Since then, I’ve wanted to inspire students and use novel instrumentation to pursue complex environmental questions.

Research 
My group conducts logistically and analytically challenging measurements of complex mixtures of atmospheric trace gases and aerosols in the rapidly warming Arctic, improving understanding of the interactions between ocean, atmosphere, snowpack and sea ice. Using chemical ionization mass spectrometry, we have measured several atmospheric trace gases for the first time in the Arctic.

Greatest achievement 
Using chemical ionization mass spectrometry, we measured atmospheric molecular iodine in the Arctic atmosphere for the first time and showed through lab-in-the-field experiments that it is photochemically produced in the snowpack! This molecule is important for climate impacts associated with ozone (greenhouse gas) and atmospheric aerosols.

Advice 
Follow your passions and don’t be afraid to be different. I’ve pursued in-depth training in both mass spectrometry and atmospheric chemistry, and combined it with first-hand knowledge of Arctic science, putting myself in a unique position to advance our understanding of Arctic atmospheric chemistry.