About me

Hello! My name is Yaowei Li (李垚纬). I am currently a NOAA Climate & Global Change Postdoctoral Fellow, co-hosted by Prof. Susan Solomon at MIT and Prof. Paul Wennberg at Caltech. I am also a Caltech Foster and Coco Stanback Postdoctoral Scholar.

I received a Ph.D. in Environmental Science & Engineering with Prof. Frank Keutsch from Harvard University in 2024. During my Ph.D., I also worked closely with my committee members: Prof. Jesse Kroll, Prof. Steve Wofsy and Prof. Scot Martin.

My research focuses on atmospheric and climate sciences, particularly aerosol-chemistry-climate interactions and the impacts of natural hazards such as wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and deep convective storms. I integrate field and laboratory measurements, satellite remote sensing, and chemistry-climate modeling to investigate how aerosols influence atmospheric composition, air quality, and climate under evolving emissions and environmental conditions. 🌍 🔥 🌋 🌪️

I have developed and deployed instruments on high-altitude aircraft (NASA ER-2 and WB-57), drones, ground stations, and in laboratory settings to measure atmospheric aerosols and gas precursors from the surface to the stratosphere. These observations, combined with modeling, provide new insights into urban air pollution, aerosol-climate interactions, and the role of extreme events (🔥 🌋 🌪️) in shaping Earth’s atmosphere and climate.

My ongoing work leverages satellite observations and climate models to (1) quantify the impacts of major wildfires and volcanic eruptions on global atmospheric temperatures, and (2) assess changes in the global temperature trend, including potential evidence of “global warming acceleration”. I serve as Co-PI for the DPOPS (optical particle spectrometer) instrument onboard ER-2 aircraft in NASA DCOTSS mission and mini-MOUDI (particle collecting system) instrument onboard WB-57 aircraft in NOAA SABRE mission. I am also a Science Team member for the upcoming NASA INSPYRE mission invistigating the role of pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb, wildfire-induced thunderstorms) in the Earth system. I also participated in the Munich Urban Air Quality Campaigns, where I led the ammonia Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry (NH4+ CIMS) instrument.

I am a member of the AMS Middle Atmosphere Committee and the AGU Atmospheric Sciences Early Career Committee. I also serve as Co-Chair of the 2027 Atmospheric Chemistry Gordon Research Seminar (GRS).

Prior to Harvard, I received a B.S. in Environmental Sciences and a B.A. in Economics from Peking University (Beijing, China) in 2018. My undergraduate research was advised by Prof. Qi Chen focusing on: (1) chemical characterization of PM1 and PM2.5 in Beijing using aerosol mass spectrometers, (2) development and application of drone-based VOCs sampling system.

Outside of research, I enjoy hiking, playing volleyball and badminton, and spending time with my cat, Luna.