About Us
The Centre for Research into Atmospheric Chemistry (CRAC) currently comprises 4 academic staff who act as research team leaders: Professor John Sodeau (Director), Dr John Wenger, Dr Dean Venables and Dr Andy Ruth. In addition, 10 postdoctoral fellows and 20 PhD students drawn from a variety of appropriate backgrounds relevant to the study of the atmosphere are currently employed on projects in the laboratory. Eight Ph.D. students have graduated and a further four are in the process of thesis production. All staff members are committed to the concept of research-led teaching and have supervised over 40 undergraduate students in front-line techniques related to atmospheric chemistry since 1999. Each student has been partnered with a postdoctoral fellow or late-stage Ph.D student thereby providing mutual educational benefits.
The CRAC facility was set up in late 1999 shortly after Professor Sodeau was appointed to the Chair of Physical Chemistry. It is sited in the Basement (B1) of the Kane Building and also on the top-floor of the ERI.
The research activity of CRAC is wide-ranging and encompasses laboratory, field and modelling studies. Three main areas of investigation are undertaken as follows:
Laboratory simulations of homogeneous and heterogeneous chemistry relevant to the atmosphere.
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Linking urban field measurements of particulate matter (PM) and bioaerosols to their chemical analysis and effects on health and climate change.
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Development of new instrumental approaches for atmospheric analysis.
Many sources of funding have been secured by CRAC since its inception including SFI, EPA, IRCSET, EU Marie Curie Programme, Cork City Council and local industry. In fact we currently (2008) hold about €5.5M in grant income. The research performed is described in more detail on other web-pages on this site.
We also have a commitment to undergraduate and outreach activities and you can check these out on the Tours webpage and in our new collaboration with ucc_tv.
If you need further information then please contact Prof. John Sodeau , Dr. John Wenger or Dr. Dean Venables