Dr. Haley Plaas joined the Center for Climate Systems Research in early 2025, and her current work focuses on further developing atmospheric gas-phase chemistry within the GISS-ModelE Earth System Model. Haley’s scientific interests broadly cover biological and ecological controls on atmospheric chemistry, aerosol-formation, and climate-feedbacks in the Anthropocene.
Before coming to Columbia, Haley received her PhD in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from UNC-Chapel Hill (2019-2023). During her doctorate, she characterized primary and secondary aerosol formation in the airshed of polluted waterbodies, particularly those impacted by toxic blue-green algal blooms. Following her PhD, Haley completed a postdoc at North Carolina State University (2024-2025), during which she studied the delivery of atmospheric iron to ocean ecosystems using a submodule of the Community Earth System Model.