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Aparajeo Chattopadhyay

Scientist, Ice Core and Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratory

PhD, Physical Chemistry, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (degree awarded by the University of Calcutta), India, 2018

Office Location: B03 Hutchison Hall
Email: aparajeo.chattopadhyay@rochester.edu
Web Address: Website

Research Overview

I am an atmospheric chemist and physical chemist with expertise in laboratory and field-based investigations of atmospheric chemical processes related to air quality and climate. My current research work at the University of Rochester involves global and regional atmospheric measurements of methane and its isotopologues, including both stable (¹³CH₄, CH₃D) and radioactive (¹⁴CH₄) forms, to constrain its atmospheric budget. I also participate in measuring ¹⁴CO, a proxy for the OH radical, from a global atmospheric network as part of the FETCH₄ project. I serve as the PI for an NSF-funded laboratory project on the kinetic isotope effects (KIE) in atmospheric sinks of methane. I also perform ice core measurements for understanding the past atmosphere.

Research Interests

Global methane (CH4) budget
Kinetic Isotope Effects (KIEs)
Hydroxyl (OH) radical abundance in the past and modern atmosphere

Selected Publications

D. Van Hoomissen, A. Chattopadhyay, S. A. Montzka, J. B. Burkholder*, CHF₃ (HFC-23) and CF₃CHO Quantum Yields in the Pulsed Laser Photolysis of CF₃CHO at 248, 266, 281, and 308 nm, ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 2025, 9, 589-602.
A. Chattopadhyay, V. C. Papadimitriou, J. B. Burkholder*, OH reaction rate coefficients, infrared spectra, and climate metrics for (E)- and (Z)- 2-perfluoroheptene (2-C₇F₁₄) and 3-perfluoroheptene (3-C₇F₁₄), International Journal of Chemical Kinetics, 2023, 55, 392-401.
A. Chattopadhyay, Y. Bedjanian, M.N. Romanias, A.D. Eleftheriou, V.S. Melissas, V.C. Papadimitriou, J. B. Burkholder*, The OH radical and chlorine atom kinetics of substituted aromatic compounds: 4-chlorobenzotrifluoride (p-ClC₆H₄CF₃), TheJournal of Physical Chemistry A, 2022, 126, 5407-5419.
A. Chattopadhyay, T. Gierczak, P. Marshall, V.C. Papadimitriou, J. B. Burkholder*, Kinetic fall-off behavior for the Cl + Furan-2,5-dione (C₄H₂O₃, maleic anhydride) reaction, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2021, 23, 4901-4911.
A. Chattopadhyay, V. C. Papadimitriou, P. Marshall, J. B. Burkholder*, Temperature dependent rate coefficients for the gas-phase OH + Furan-2,5-dione (C₄H₂O₃, maleic anhydride) reaction,International Journal of Chemical Kinetics, 2020, 52, 623-631.
A. Chattopadhyay*, M. Samanta, K. Mondal, T. Chakraborty*, Mid-infrared quantum cascade laser spectroscopy probing of the kinetics of an atmospherically significant radical reaction, CH₃O₂ + NO₂ + M → CH₃O₂NO₂ + M, in the gas phase,Journal of Chemical Sciences, 2018, 130, 54.
A. Chattopadhyay*, P. Chatterjee, T. Chakraborty*, Photo-oxidation of Acetone to Formic Acid in Synthetic Air and Its Atmospheric Implication,TheJournal of Physical Chemistry A, 2015, 119, 8146−8155.

For full publication record check ORCID:0000-0003-0063-6685

Past Appointments

Research Scientist, NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory and CIRES, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado, USA. 2018-2023

Research Grants

National Science Foundation (NSF). 2025-2028. Title: Kinetic Isotope Eﬀects in Atmospheric Sinks of Methane. NSF Award# 2516797. PI: A. Chattopadhyay, co-PI: Prof. Vasilii Petrenko. Funding amount $732,679 (granted)
University of Colorado Boulder’s 2025 Research & Innovation Seed Grant program. 2025-2026. Title: Development of an Economical Tunable-Diode Laser Spectrometer for Fast Response Measurements of Methane in the Atmosphere. PI: Roy Lee Mauldin. Co-PIs: Emmanuel Assaf and A. Chattopadhyay (unfunded co-PI). Funding amount $57,006 (granted)

Awards

Researcher Development Grant, 2022, by the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Seal of Excellence, 2021, by the European Commission
Newton International Fellowship Award, 2018, by the Royal Society, UK, and SERB, India (declined)
International Travel Grant, 2016, from the SERB, Govt. of India
Best Poster Presentation Award at the National Symposium on Radiation and Photochemistry (NSRP) 2015 held at IIT Kanpur, India
Best Poster Presentation Award at the National Symposium on Radiation and Photochemistry (NSRP) 2013 held at NEHU, Shillong, India
CSIR - Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) 2011 through NET by CSIR, Govt. of India, for pursuing Ph.D. in Universities and Research Institutes in India

Professional Memberships

Member, American Geophysical Union, USA (AGU), 2019 - present
Member, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK (MRSC), 2020 - present
Associate Member, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK (AMRSC), 2016 - 2020