Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry / Academic
- Office:
- Idea Center 317
- Mailbox:
- 61575
- Phone:
- 903.813.2819
Education:
B.Sc., University of British Columbia.
Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley.
Faculty Bio
I received my undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia in 2008, and it was my research experience as an undergraduate that inspired me to pursue a graduate degree in chemistry. I completed my Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at the University of California-Berkeley in 2014. Prior to joining Austin College, I was a lecturer at Mills College and a Teaching and Research Fellow at Chapman University where I further developed my passion for undergraduate teaching and research. I am very excited to be at Austin College where I can dedicate my time to teaching and mentoring undergraduate students.
Recent Courses
- CHEM 111 General Chemistry I
- CHEM 112 General Chemistry II
- CHEM 341 Quantum Chemistry
- CHEM 342 Thermodynamics and Kinetics
Research Interests
The absorption of sunlight drives the vast majority of chemistry in the atmosphere. With the growing concern over atmospheric pollution and climate change, characterizing the photochemical reactions in the atmosphere and their corresponding mechanisms is of central importance for making predictive climate models. However, there are still many gaps in the current understanding and modeling. To tackle this problem, my research involves an interplay between experimental and theoretical methods to study the photochemistry of organic compounds commonly found in atmospheric aerosols. This research studies key aspects of photochemical reactions including spectroscopic properties, chemical composition of reaction products, tropospheric photolysis rates, and quantum yields for major reaction pathways.
Website: aaronwharrison.com
Recent Publications
A.W. Harrison, A. M. Waterson, and W. J. de Bruyn “Spectroscopic and Photochemical Properties of Secondary Brown Carbon from Aqueous Reactions of Methylglyoxal.” ACS Earth and Space Chemistry. 4, 5, 762 (2020).
A.W. Harrison, M. F. Shaw, and W. J. de Bruyn. “Theoretical Investigation of the Atmospheric Photochemistry of Glyoxylic Acid in the Gas-Phase.” Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 123, 8109 (2019).
A.W. Harrison, A. Kharazmi, M. F. Shaw, M. S. Quinn, M. J. T. Jordan, and S. H. Kable. “Dynamics and Quantum Yields of H2 + CH2CO as a Primary Photolysis Channel in CH3CHO.” Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 21, 14284 (2018).
Faculty Extras
In my free time, I like traveling (over 30 countries so far!), watching movies, reading science fiction, listening to podcasts, and playing basketball.