Group News
December 2025
Bertram Group Collaborates in UBC-Seaspan Research on Biofuels’ Impacts on Climate and Health
November 2025
As part of UBC’s collaboration with Seaspan, the Bertram Group is contributing their expertise to study the effects of marine biofuels on air quality and climate.
Inside the UBC Mobile Aerosol Characterization facility trailer, Dr. Julia Zaks operates the aerosol mass spectrometer. This machine can interpret information about the chemical composition of the particles to predict the effect these particles have on the climate.
“These tiny particles contribute significantly to poor air quality, cause adverse health effects, and contribute to climate change.” Dr. Zaks, explains. “We need to quantify how many of these particles are emitted from marine vessels and analyze their size and chemical composition to better predict their impact on air quality, human health, and the climate. To do this, we’ll combine the knowledge we learn from the chemistry of the particles with the knowledge of atmospheric chemistry.”
Read the full story about the UBC–Seaspan collaboration here.
Roadside Science: The Bertram Group Takes HR-ToF-AMS to Tsawwassen
Congratulations Sepehr and Teresa!
September/October 2025
Congratulations to Sepehr for winning the poster award at the Graduate Student Imagine Day Poster Session (UBC Chemistry) and Teresa for winning first prize at the 2025 3-minute Postdoc Slam organized by the UBC Postdoc Association.
Nine UBC Faculty Members Elected to the Royal Society of Canada
September 2025
A total of nine UBC faculty members have been announced by the Royal Society of Canada as new Fellows and as Members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
Congratulations Allan!
September 2025
Allan was elected to the Royal Society of Canada in recognition for the group’s work on atmospheric aerosols.
Read more Royal Society of Canada, Class of 2025
ECCC – Air Quality Research Division (AQRD) Seminar Series
June 2025
Allan presents “Rethinking Organic Aerosol Properties: Evidence for Phase Separation, Crystallinity, and Extreme Viscosity Variations” as an invited speaker for Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)’s AQRD Seminar series.
The seminar recording can be viewed using the password: AQRDseminar2025
Dr. Sumit Kumar Mishra Visits UBC
May 2025
We are pleased to have hosted Dr. Sumit Kumar Mishra from the CSIR – National Physical Laboratory for his Raman Research Fellowship Award. We wish him all the best in his future research!
Allan presents “Viscosity and Phase State of Biomass Burning Organic Aerosol” as an invited speaker for the CIC’s Environmental Division (EN) Virtual Seminar series.
April 2025
The Chemical Institute of Canada’s Environmental Division (EN) Virtual Seminar series brings together members in the field of environmental sciences and engineering to cover the latest developments in a wide range of topics in environmental chemistry, including in the atmospheric, terrestrial, freshwater, marine and Arctic environments. This one-hour seminar is hosted once a month.
Allan’s Angels fly over the wall!
March 2025
This year’s Storm the Wall performance was met with cheers from their adorning fans!
The Bertram group slaying and shredding the slopes at Grouse Mountain!
February 2025
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
December 2024
Gurcharan and Zoë and (along with Keighan from the NBD group) present their research the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2024 Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C.
The Bertram group celebrating at the chemistry holiday party!
December 2024
American Association for Aerosol Research
October 2024
Nealan and Janice present their research at the 2024 American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR) Conference in New Mexico…
and take a photo with colleagues, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman!
Hydra Field Campaign
October 2024
Gurcharan and Teresa participate in the Hydra field campaign, collaborating with researchers from the Rogak Group (UBC Mechanical Engineering) to measure and collect tire wear particles. This campaign is a component of the Climate Action Awareness Fund (CAAF) funded project, aimed at advancing our understanding of tire wear emissions and their environmental impact, among other objectives.
Farewell Meline!
August 2024
A farewell for Meline’s last day with the Bertram group.
We are so pleased to have hosted Meline through the VIRS Program and wish her all the best!
2nd UBC Ice Workshop
July 2024
Bertram group members (Soleil Worthy, Gurcharan Uppal, Teresa Seifried, and Lian Pharoah) present and participate in the 2nd UBC Ice Workshop.
Aimed to connect students, post-docs, and professors working on general research questions associated with ice (ice nucleation, ice in space, ice in biological systems, etc.), this collaborative half-day workshop invites participants to present recent research findings and receive feedback from the community. Nina S. Atanasova, University of Helsinki, and Zane Dedekind, Environment and Climate Change Canada, also gave guest seminars.
The UBC Ice Workshop was organized and led by the Borduas-Dedekind Group.
See the schedule and presentation titles here.
Hiking Dog Mountain
July 2024
Taking advantage of some ideal atmospheric conditions to hike Dog Mountain in North Vancouver, with BBOA and ICE spelled out to celebrate at the peak!
Experience Program in Chemistry (EPiC)
July 2024
The Bertram and Borduas-Dedekind groups hosted two Indigenous high school students from BC for a week where they learned about a range of different research projects ongoing in these labs including ice nucleation, biomass burning organic aerosols, microscopy, environmental chambers, and spectroscopy. The students had the opportunity to learn from several graduate student mentors about these projects, academic research, chemistry, and life as a college student and graduate student.
The Experience Program in Chemistry (EPiC) outreach event hosts Indigenous high school students from across Western Canada for one-week placements in chemistry labs at UBC, where they can see firsthand all of the exciting science going on at UBC.
EPiC week is run in partnership with the Verna Kirkness Foundation which aims to address the under-representation of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students at Canadian universities by offering scholarships to Indigenous students in grades 11 and 12 to spend a week at a Canadian university to meet professors and students and learn about postsecondary education and research.
Tracking Tugboat Emissions on the Fraser River
June 2024
Kicking off a campaign to measure tugboat engine exhaust emissions on the Fraser River along with collaborators from the Rogak, Kirchen, and Zimmerman groups in Mechanical Engineering as part of a Climate Action Awareness Fund (CAAF) funded project.
Bertram group participates in Skills Acquisition “n” Discovery Week in Chemistry (SA’n’DWICh) Week run by Nadine Borduas-Dedekind’s research group.
June 2024
SA’n’DWICh Week is an annual event in the NBD group where group members do team building activities and “swaps experiments” each day of the week. Researchers with different areas of expertise are grouped together and teach each other how to operate their instruments, perform measurements, and analyze data.
More on SA’n’DWICh Week and the NBD group can be found here.
Congratulations Lyle!
May 2024
Congratulations to Lyle for winning the award for Best Environmental Chemistry poster presentation at the Western Canadian Undergraduate Chemistry Conference (WCUCC)!
Laboratory Investigations for Testing and Training
March 2024
The Bertram group hosts Laboratory Investigations for Testing and Training (LIFTT) #1.
LIFTT #1 is a training component of the interdepartmental project “Urban freight systems emissions: Improved characterization for mitigation planning”, funded through the Climate Action and Awareness Fund (CAAF).
LIFTT #1 consisted of three components:
- Three introductory sessions consisting of: an overview of the fieldwork and campaigns; slide presentations by CAAF HQP on project-related research and instrumentation; and a seminar and discussion on oxidative flow reactions.
2. Laboratory observations of forest fire smoke experiments conducted in the Bertram Lab where CAAF HQP observed forest fire smoke generation, aging, and sampling with various instrumentation available in the Bertram Lab.
3. Combustion source sampling where interested CAAF HQP had an opportunity to sample from a combustion source (unaged and aged forest fire smoke) and test their own instrumentation.
Group Holiday Celebrations!
December 2023
New Lab Equipment
December 2023
The new apparatus to study the aging of forest fire smoke is now up and running!
Congratulations, Dr. Crescenzo!
November 2023
We are proud to congratulate Jesse on the completion of his doctorate.
Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition
June 2023
The Bertram group attending the Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition (CSC 2023) held in Vancouver.
With posters from Kevin, Nealan, Teresa, and Sepehr…
and presentations from Flo, Jesse, and Fabian!
Congratulations, Drs. Yi Ren and Kris Kiland!
May 2023
We are pleased to congratulate Drs. Yi Ren and Kris Kiland on their graduation!
New Lab Equipment
April 2023
Assembling an environmental chamber to study the properties of secondary organic aerosol.
Congratulations, Flo!
March 2023
Congratulations to Flo for being awarded the Poster Prize at the “Aerosols, Health and Climate: Gigacity and Future” Meeting in Bad Honnef, Germany!
Happy Holidays from the Chemistry Department Christmas party!
December 2022
Celebrating the end of the year with a Bertram Group White Elephant holiday party!
Research from the Bertram Group featured in the press
Image courtesy of Fabian Mahrt.
November 2022
An international team of researchers led by chemists in the Bertram Research Group has found that particles with two phases can form when different types of SOA mix. This finding could help improve current models that predict SOA climate and health effects (From UBC Science). The original paper was published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.
This paper has been highlighted by several online new sites (Phys.org, ScienceDaily, EurekAlert!, Sciencenewsnet.in, Newswise, Nach Welt, AlphaGalileo, Swift Telecast, Switzerland Global Enterprise, and Chemical Institute of Canada News).
Congratulations Erin!
November 2022
Erin at her Make-up Graduation Ceremonies.
Research from the Bertram Group featured in the press
October 2022
Professor Bertram and Ph.D. student Nealan Gerrebos explain their latest research on how wildfire smoke may warm the Earth for longer than previously thought in The Conversation. Their research paper has been read more than 3,400 times within the past 10 days. You can find the original paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Other news articles that picked up the the story include: Newsbreak, Foreign Affairs New Zealand, Phys.org, Devdiscourse, The Week (India), Winnipeg Free Press, StratfordToday.ca, Alaska Highway News, Yahoo!News, The Deccan Herald, Galaxy Concerns, Inside Headline, Inverse, Salon, The University of British Columbia Magazine, and The Globe and Mail.)
June 2022
We are proud to congratulate Yi Ren, Jesse Crescenzo, and Nealan Gerrebos on the recognition of their exemplary work at the 105th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition:
Yi Ren “Best Physical Theoretical Chemistry Division Poster”
Jesse Crescenzo “Best Presentation in the Air, Water, Fire and Earth Symposium”
Nealan Gerrebos “Best Overall Graduate Student Poster Presentation in the Environmental Division”
Congratulations, Dr. Yu Xi (Ph.D) and Shaun Xu (MSc)!
May 2022
We wish you all the best on your future endeavors!
Research from the Bertram Group featured in the press
November 2021
Article has been selected for a Virtual Issue entitled Atmospheric Aerosol Research jointly published by The Journal of Physical Chemistry A and ACS Earth and Space Chemistry.
Other news articles that picked up the the story include: Newsbreak, Foreign Affairs New Zealand, Phys.org, Devdiscourse, The Week (India), Winnipeg Free Press, StratfordToday.ca, Alaska Highway News, Yahoo!News, The Deccan Herald, Galaxy Concerns, Inside Headline, Inverse, Salon, The University of British Columbia Magazine, and The Globe and Mail.)
Congratulations Dr. Yun!
August 2021
We are pleased to celebrate Jingwei’s successful PhD defense!
Enjoying a well-deserved pizza lunch after cleaning the lab.
July 2021
Welcome Annesha!
May 2021
We are very pleased to welcome Annesha Devi, who is joining the group this summer to research phase separation in organic aerosols through a cross funded project with the WLIURA program.
Researchers Identify Three Liquid Phases in Aerosol Particles
April 2021
Yuanzhou Huang, et al., in collaboration with scientists at McGill University and the University of California, Irvine, have discovered the coexistence of three liquid phases in aerosol particles, changing our understanding of air pollutants in the Earth’s atmosphere. While aerosol particles were known to contain up to two liquid phases, the discovery of an additional liquid phase will assist in providing more accurate atmospheric models and climate predictions. The study was published in PNAS.
“Aerosol particles are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and play an important role in air quality and the climate system. These particles can contain mixtures of primary organic aerosol, secondary organic aerosol, and secondary inorganic aerosol. We show that such internally mixed particles can contain three liquid phases. We also demonstrate that the presence of three liquid phases impacts the time needed for the particles to reach equilibrium with the surrounding gas phase and likely impacts the ability of the particles to activate into cloud droplets. A framework is presented for predicting conditions needed for the formation of three liquid phases in the atmosphere. These results will lead to improved representations of aerosols in models for air quality and climate predictions.”
For the full article, click here.
This paper has been highlighted by several online magazines (EurekAlert!, The Academic Times, AZOCleantech, ScienMag, New Atlas, Environmental News Network, AlphaGalileo, Phys.org, and COSMOS magazine).
UBC-PSI Seminar Series
February/March 2021
Thank you to everyone who participated in the joint meetings between the Bertram group and the Ammann group at PSI, with presentations from:
Kristian Kiland (UBC) – “The Viscosity of Organic Films from Cooking Aerosol”
Peter Alpert (PSI) – “X-ray Spectromicroscopy for Aerosol Studies with High-Chemical Detail and Statistical Significance
Giuseppe Crescenzo (UBC) – “Mixing Times of Photoaged Limonene SOA & Global Modelling of Glass Formation”
Kevin Kilchhofer (PSI) – “Cycling of Radicals Induced by Transition Metal Complex Photochemistry in Viscous Organic Aerosol Particles”
Farewell Adrian
February 2021
Thank you to Adrian for all your dedication and hard work in the lab. We wish you all the best on your next step!
Farewell Yuanzhou
February 2021
We would like to say thank you to Yuanzhou for all of his great work in the laboratory and wish him all the best in his career!
Congratulations Adrian and Yuanzhou
December 2020
A very happy congratulations to Adrian Maclean (PhD) and Yuanzhou Huang (MSc) for successful defenses!
Congratulations Allan!
November 2020
Congratulations to Allan as a recipient of the Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering.
Allan and fellow collaborators on the NETCARE team have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to climate research in Canada’s Arctic.
To learn more, click here.
Welcome Lian and Cuishan!
September 2020
A warm welcome to new group members Lian Pharoah (left) and Cuishan Xu (right)!
Lian is joining us as a new graduate student studying the mechanisms of heterogeneous ice nucleation with joint supervision from Dr. Gren Patey and Cuishan is joining our group to study the concentrations and properties of ice nucleating particles from the Kaskawulsh glacier.
Research from the Bertram Group featured in the press
Research from the Bertram Group featured in the press
Research from the Bertram Group featured in the press
Research from the Bertram Group featured in the press
Research from the Bertram Group featured in the press
Research from the Bertram Group featured in the press
Research from the Bertram Group featured in the press