Amy Christiansen

Amy Christiansen is an Assistant Professor in the School of Science and Engineering at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), where she conducts research at the intersection of atmospheric chemistry, air quality, and environmental justice. Her work integrates chemical transport modeling, observational data analysis, and community engagement to study the human and climatic impacts of air pollution.

Education:

• BA in Chemistry and Environmental Studies, Gustavus Adolphus College (2015)
• Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of California, Irvine (2020)
• Postdoctoral training, University of Montana

Her research focuses on understanding long-term trends in atmospheric pollutants such as PM2.5 and ozone, particularly how they are influenced by agricultural emissions, urban heat islands, wildfires, and socioeconomic disparities. She emphasizes the broader implications of air quality changes on radiative forcing, oxidation capacity, and environmental justice, especially in the Kansas City metropolitan area. By combining ground-based, remote sensing, and model data, her lab aims to improve predictive capabilities of atmospheric chemistry models and inform public health policy.

Although no articles are listed in the provided text, her research themes suggest strong engagement in interdisciplinary environmental science, with emerging work likely involving machine learning applications for ozone modeling and spatiotemporal analysis of pollution disparities.

Scientific Awards:

Dr. Christiansen advises students through her research lab and leads projects funded through institutional and collaborative support, including partnerships with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deploy low-cost PM2.5 sensors in Kansas City for community-based monitoring. Her grants likely focus on environmental justice, air quality modeling, and public health impacts. She runs the Christiansen Lab at UMKC, which actively engages in both regional and global atmospheric chemistry questions, particularly in agriculturally intensive and historically marginalized urban areas.

Labs and Research Teams:
The Christiansen Lab at UMKC focuses on connecting chemical processes to human outcomes, using an interdisciplinary approach that bridges atmospheric science and social equity. The lab collaborates with federal agencies and local communities to advance understanding of pollution disparities and improve model accuracy for future air quality and climate projections.