Langley DeWitt (Director)

Langley DeWitt is an atmospheric chemist with a global perspective, whose research has spanned three continents, two oceans, two planets, and a couple eons of time. For her Ph.D. work in Analytical and Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO, USA she performed laboratory experiments to form and analyze aerosols relevant to the early Earth and Titan. She moved into present-day aerosol analysis as a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), USA. For NOAA, she measured the chemical composition of aerosols off the coast of California and the aerosol chemical and optical properties before, during, and after a Madden-Julian Oscillation event over the equatorial Indian Ocean. Following NOAA, she worked at the University of Aix-Marseille, France for two years as a researcher on several field campaigns and laboratory measurements. These included in-situ measurements of the chemistry of marine aerosols, cloud droplet chemistry experiments, and source apportionment of pollution near high-diesel roadways. Next, wanting to apply her skillset towards developing scientific knowledge and capacity in an understudied region, she took a position as the interim station chief scientist of the Rwanda-MIT Climate Observatory. There, she helped establish a climate change observatory measuring greenhouse-gases and air quality indicators on Mt. Mugogo and designed Rwanda’s air quality monitoring network. After leadership of that work transitioned, as planned, to local scientists, Langley moved into air monitoring in industry to further expand her frame of reference for different applications of atmospheric chemistry. She consulted on a variety of air monitoring, pollution source apportionment, technology assessment, and other projects as a project manager and air quality consultant specialist in the greater Houston, TX, USA area. Langley is excited to bring her scientific expertise, international experience, and project management skills together to help foster international scientific community, collaboration, and outreach on issues related to atmospheric chemistry.