Colorado State University - Fort Collins
Akkihebbal Ravishankara was an employee for whom from 2014 to 2015?
Akkihebbal Ravishankara Akkihebbal Ramaiah ( Ravi ) Ravishankara ForMemRS FAAAS FRSC is a scientist specializing in Chemistry and Atmospheric Sciences , and University Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Atmospheric Sciences at Colorado State University , Fort Collins . He has been a leading researcher on the chemistry of the atmosphere with special focus on stratospheric ozone depletion , climate change , and air quality . His contributions have been significant in understanding ozone layer depletion , the role chemically active species play in climate change and the lifecycle of pollutants , specifically hydrofluorocarbons ( HFCs ) and chlorofluorocarbons ( CFCs ) . He was part of the assessment steering committee ( 2006 ) of and co-chaired ( 2010 and 2014 ) the World Meteorological Organization ( WMO ) /United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ) Science Assessment Panel on Stratospheric Ozone . Education . Ravishankara was born in Shimoga , India in 1949 . He obtained his BSc and MSc degrees at the University of Mysore , and briefly researched at the Indian Institute of Science , before moving to the University of Florida at Gainesville where he received his PhD in 1975 . Career and research . Ravishankaras work included fundamental research on chemical processes and reaction rates in the gas-phase and surface chemistry of the atmosphere of Earth , resulting in better comprehension of ozone depletion , climate change and air pollutants . Ravishankara began his career in atmospheric research after obtaining his Doctorate . He has researched Ozone Layer Depletion at Georgia Institute of Technology and in Antarctica . He participated in efforts to find alternatives to CFCs after the passing of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 . His work on fully fluorinated greenhouse gases contributed to the Kyoto Protocol agreement in 1997 to reduce carbon dioxide emissions . Ravishankara has also researched extensively on HFCs , work that was part of the efforts leading to the passage of the Montreal Protocol’s 2016 Kigali Amendment , aimed at reducing the use of HFCs specifically . In 2004 , an NOAA team headed by Ravishankara , and two other independent teams , published a significant update of the rate coefficients for airborne chemical reactions . Earlier values were resulting in inaccurate measurement of , amongst other processes , atomic Oxygen reactions , created by the break-down of Ozone . Using laser flash photolysis , the groups studied the reaction kinetics of atomic oxygen with oxygen , nitrogen and hydrogen molecules as well as greenhouse gases . Results indicated that the actual rate coefficient values were 20 percent higher than the estimates used by International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry ( IUPAC ) and NASA at the time . Following research conducted by a team led by him , Ravishankara also drew attention in 2009 to the threat of nitrous oxide to the Ozone layer . In a paper published by the team in Science magazine , their research indicated a steady rise in nitrous oxide emissions by processes arising from human activity like agricultural fertilization and fossil fuel combustion . Ravishankara was senior scientist and then director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) s Chemical Sciences Division in Boulder , Colorado . He also served on the Physical Sciences jury for the Infosys Prize from 2017 to 2019 . Appointments held . His appointments held include : - 1976 Research Associate , University of Maryland - 1976-1985 Research positions at Georgia Institute of Technology - 1979-1985 Head of Molecular Sciences Branch , Georgia Institute of Technology - 1984-2014 Research positions at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) - 1989-2014 Adjunct Professor of Chemistry , University of Colorado - 1993-2007 Chief of Atmospheric Chemical Kinetics Program , NOAA - 2006-2014 Acting Director and then Director , Chemical Sciences Division , NOAA - 2014-2016 Professor of Chemistry and Atmospheric Science , Colorado State University - Fort Collins Awards and Honors . His awards and honors include : - 1995 Silver Medal , United States Department of Commerce - 1996 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award of the US Environmental Protection Agency - 1997 Fellow , American Geophysical Union - 1998 Polanyi Medal of the Royal Society of Chemistry - 1999 Robertson Memorial Lecturer , US National Academy of Sciences - 2000 Member , US National Academy of Sciences - 2001 Fellow , American Association for the Advancement of Science - 2003 Crawford Lecture , University of Minnesota - 2003 Centenary Lecture , Royal Society of Chemistry - 2004 US Presidential Rank Meritorious Award for a senior professional - 2005 Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Sciences , American Chemical Society - 2005 Chancellor Lecturer , Louisiana State University - 2005 Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry ( FRSC ) - 2007 Bronze Medal , United States Department of Commerce - 2008 Bronze Medal , United States Department of Commerce - 2008 Administrator’s Award , National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - 2008 Fellow , International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry - 2008 Centenary Lecturer , Indian Institute of Science - 2009 Welch Foundation Lecturer , Texas - 2009 Morino Foundation Fellow , Japan - 2010 Hinshelwood Lecturer , University of Oxford - 2008 Bronze Medal , United States Department of Commerce - 2013 Harold Schiff Lecture , York University , Canada - 2013 Randall Lecture , University of Texas at Arlington , Texas - 2019 Elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society ( ForMemRS )