Kimberly Hageman, Ph.D.

Field: Chemistry
Areas of Focus: Air Polluants, Air Pollution, Atmospheric Contaminants

Expertise

• Contaminants in environment
• Chemical fate modelling
• Contaminant atmospheric transport
• Organic contaminants
• Pesticide fate
• Flame retardent fate
• Environmental sampling methods
• Analytical chemistry

Bio

Dr. Kimberly Hageman obtained her doctorate degree in Analytical Chemistry at Oregon State University in 2003. She held a faculty position in the Department of Chemistry at University of Otago in New Zealand from 2006 to 2018. She then joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Utah State University. Dr. Hageman’s research group studies semi-volatile air pollutants. These chemicals enter the atmosphere where it is warm, travel long distances with the winds, and then deposit back to earth surfaces where it is cold. Many of the semi-volatile pollutants are problematic because they are also both long-lived and toxic to humans and wildlife. Many of the commonly used pesticides, as well as flame retardants and other industrial compounds, fall into this category. Due to their ability to travel long distances through the atmosphere, these chemicals have been found in high mountains and in the Arctic, in other words, far from where they are used or produced. Dr. Hageman’s group uses air sampling and gas chromatography to determine the concentrations of semi-volatile pollutants in air at various locations. Concentrations are measured near sources, such as agricultural fields, to determine the degree to which different semi-volatile pollutants enter the atmosphere. In addition, concentrations are measured in remote alpine and arctic areas to determine how far they travel through the atmosphere. Dr. Hageman’s group also conducts chemical fate modelling to predict the behavior of these chemicals under different environmental conditions. For instance, their models are used to determine how the amount that enters the atmosphere varies as the temperature, humidity, and wind speed change. They also conduct field studies and modelling to determine how long semi-volatile pesticides remain on leaves before entering the atmosphere or degrading — this is important for the protection of beneficial insects, such as bees, as well as for determining how long pesticides are active against pest insects.