Naomi Zimmerman

Associate Professor

Canada Research Chair in Real-World Air Quality Sensing

B.A.Sc. (University of Waterloo), Ph.D. (University of Toronto), Postdoctoral Fellowship (Carnegie Mellon University),

Research Interests

A core objective of atmospheric science is to improve air quality. This is motivated by recent estimates that air pollution exposure is the fourth leading cause of premature mortality globally. Furthermore, many sources of air pollutants are co-emitters of climate-forcing agents, such as greenhouse gases and black carbon, and thus air quality and climate science are intricately related fields. Emissions of air and climate pollutants may be effectively co-managed using well-crafted environmental policy or through technology shifts. However, the effectiveness of any given policy or technology decision on air quality and climate outcomes is often difficult to quantify due to the rapid pace of technology change and research methods that poorly represent real-world pollutant behaviour.

My research program revolves around the development and application of real-world-based tools to quickly and quantitatively assess the impact of our policy and technology decisions on air pollution and climate outcomes, and to use the knowledge gained to support better environmental policy planning.

As part of this work, students are part of interdisciplinary teams and engage with a range of relevant stakeholders, including colleagues in other departments at UBC (e.g., Liu Institute, IRES), non-profits, and regulatory agencies.

Current Research Work

• Assessment of spatial heterogeneity of air pollutants using high spatiotemporal resolution monitoring networks to reduce exposure and promote environmental justice
• Quantification of the role new transportation technology (e.g., LNG, connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles) and policy scenarios on air and climate
• Understanding the combined air pollution and health effects of emissions from the goods movement sector (marine-road-rail) and from wildfire episodes

Selected Publications

• Jain, S., Zimmerman, N., “Exploration of intra-city and inter-city PM_2.5 regional calibration models to improve low-cost sensor performance.” Journal of Aerosol Science, 177, 106335, 2024.
• Chakraborty, M., Giang, A., Zimmerman, N. “Performance evaluation of portable dual-spot micro-aethalometers for source identification of black carbon aerosols: application to wildfire smoke and traffic emissions in the Pacific Northwest.” Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 16, 2333–2352, 2023.
• Kelly, C., Fawkes, J., Habermehl, R., de Ferreyro Monticelli, D., Zimmerman, N. “PLUME Dashboard: A free and open-source mobile air quality monitoring dashboard.” Environmental Modelling & Software, 160, 105600, 2023.
• Jain, S., Presto, A. A., Zimmerman, N. “Using spatiotemporal prediction models to quantify PM_2.5 exposure due to daily movement.”  Environmental Science: Atmospheres, 3(11), 1665-1677, 2023.
• de Ferreyro Monticelli, D., Bhandari, S., Eykelbosh, A., Henderson, S. B., Giang, A., Zimmerman, N. “Cannabis Cultivation Facilities: A Review of Their Air Quality Impacts from the Occupational to Community Scale.”  Environmental Science & Technology, 56(5), 2880-2896, 2022.
• Zimmerman, N. “Tutorial: Guidelines for implementing low-cost sensor networks for aerosol monitoring.” Journal of Aerosol Science, 159, 105872, 2022.
• Jain, S., Presto, A. A., Zimmerman, N. “Spatial Modeling of Daily PM_2.5, NO₂, and CO Concentrations Measured by a Low-Cost Sensor Network: Comparison of Linear, Machine Learning, and Hybrid Land Use Models.” Environmental Science & Technology, 55(13), 8631-8641, 2021.
• Nguyen, P. D. M., Martinussen, N., Mallach, G., Ebrahimi, G., Jones, K., Zimmerman, N., Henderson, S. B.. “Using Low-Cost Sensors to Assess Fine Particulate Matter Infiltration (PM_2.5) during a Wildfire Smoke Episode at a Large Inpatient Healthcare Facility.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(18), 9811, 2021.
• Le Hong, Z., Zimmerman, N. “Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Implications of Autonomous Vehicles in Vancouver, Canada.” Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 90, 102676, 2021.
• Liu, B., Zimmerman, N. “Fleet-Based Vehicle Emission Factors Using Low-Cost Sensors: Case Study in Parking Garages.”  Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 102635, 2020.
• Malings, C., Tanzer, R., Hauryliuk, A., Kumar, S. P., Zimmerman, N., Kara, L. B., Presto, A. A., Subramanian, R. “Development of a general calibration model and long-term performance evaluation of low-cost sensors for air pollutant gas monitoring.” Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 12(2), 903-920, 2019.
• Zimmerman, N., Presto, A. A., Kumar, S. P., Gu, J., Hauryliuk, A., Robinson, E. S., Robinson, A. L., Subramanian, R. “A machine learning calibration model using random forests to improve sensor performance for lower-cost air quality monitoring.”  Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 11(1), 2018.

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