HI THERE, I'M
Haley Plaas
Ph.D.
Associate Research Scientist
@ Columbia University and NASA-GISS
About me
MY BACKGROUND + RESEARCH INTERESTS
Hello! I'm Haley, an interdisciplinary research scientist currently working as a climate modeler. My research interests span the complex interactions between Earth systems, air quality, microbial life, and human health.
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My favorite part of being a scientist is communicating science: collaborating with researchers across diverse fields, teaching in both informal and formal settings, and working directly with communities to ensure my research is benefitting society in an equitable light.
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My guiding principle as a scientist and educator is that "smart people aren't afraid to ask stupid questions". Please reach out for collaboration!
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Career Milestones + Research Outlooks
2019
I graduated with a dual B.S. in Biology and Marine Science from the University of Miami.
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2023
I completed my Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (advised by Hans W. Paerl). As a doctoral student, I studied the impacts of harmful cyanobacterial blooms on aerosol formation through a series of field measurements and lab-based experiments.
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2024
I spent a year as a postdoc at North Carolina State University (advised by Douglas S. Hamilton) transitioning to the world of Earth Systems Modeling and Remote Sensing. Still focused on air-sea interactions, I studied the role of atmospheric nutrient deposition on open ocean ecosystems using the Community Earth Systems Model.
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2025
I took on a new role as an Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University/NASA-GISS (supervised by Kostas Tsigaridis), where I am currently developing gas-phase chemistry within the atmospheric component of NASA's premiere CMIP model: GISS-ModelE.
Select Publications
REPRESENTATIVE RESEARCH PROJECTS
Haley E. Plaas*, Rui Li*, Yifan Zhang, Yizhu Chen, Yi Yang, Douglas S. Hamilton, and Mingjin Tang. Residential coal and biofuel burning is a significant source of soluble aerosol iron to the atmosphere. Atmospheric Chemistry & Physics – EGU. In Prep (*contributed equally)
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Plaas, H.E., Karl, C., Cogbill, R., Garcia, N.R., Stoop, A. H., Satterwhite, L.H., Mathieu-Campbell M.E., Richmond- Bryant, J., Paerl, H.W., and Hamilton, D.S. CyanoHABs and CAPs: community-based monitoring of fine particulate matter reveals regional sources of pollution in rural, northeastern North Carolina. Environ. Sci.: Atmos., 2025, 5, 674, https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ea00020c
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Plaas, H. E., Yan, J., Christensen, C., Chang, S., Cortez, C., Fern, S., Nelson, L., Sabo, A.; Armstrong, N. C., Turpin, B. J., Zhang, Y., Paerl, H. W., Surratt, J. D. Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Cyanobacterial-Derived Volatile Organic Compounds. ACS Earth Space Chem 2023. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsearthspacechem.3c00177
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H.E. Plaas, R.W. Paerl, K. Baumann, et al., Harmful cyanobacterial aerosolization dynamics in the airshed of a eutrophic estuary, Science of the Total Environment (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158383
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Plaas, H. E., & Paerl, H. W. (2021). Toxic Cyanobacteria: A Growing Threat to Water and Air Quality. Environmental Science & Technology, 55(1), 44–64. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c06653​