Faculty Directory

Asa-Awuku, Akua

Asa-Awuku, Akua

Professor
Associate Dean
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
4418 Stadium Drive Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building (090)

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology, Chemical Egineering, 2008

BACKGROUND

  • Water uptake of particles; characterizing thermodynamic properties governing droplet formation for air quality, health and climate impacts
  • Novel characterization of relevant primary and secondary organic aerosol; black carbon; chemical composition and effects on the health and the hydrological cycle
  • Experimental investigation of the formation of cloud droplets: the activation of organic Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) and its subsequent effects on climate

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • 2012 NSF CAREER
  • 2011 EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR)
  • 2009 NSF-Georgia Tech FACES Career Initiation Grant Recipient 
  • 2009 Atmospheric Chemistry Colloquium for Emerging Senior Scientists (ACCESS X)
  • 2008 NSF-Georgia Tech FACES Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • 2008 Camille and Henry Dreyfus Post Doctoral Scholar
  • 2005-7 NASA ESS (Earth Sun-System) Fellow, Georgia Institute of Technology

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR)
  • American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU)
  • American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
  • Air & Water Management Association (A&WMA)
  • American Meteorological Society (AMS)
  • Alpha Chi Sigma (AXE)
  • Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP)
  • European Geophysical Union (EGU)

 

 

Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month 2026

Recognizing three individuals who are dedicated to fostering an environment of belonging.

Air Quality Study on 2023 Canadian Wildfires Reports New Bacterial Toxin Spread Throughout U.S. East Coast

Aerosol research found presence of "Aeruginosins" in the air during days-long episode.

UMD Research to Study Aerosol Transmission of Respiratory Viruses

New study by Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering professors will investigate the correlation between weather conditions and the spread of airborne viruses.

Celebrating APIDA and SWANA Heritage Month 2026

We are proud to have a dynamic community, and we are honored to build and strengthen it together.

Celebrating Black History Month 2026

Black engineers contribute to our discipline in ways that inspire progress and service to the public good.

Nahin Ferdousi-Rokib receives Graduate School’s Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award

Ferdousi-Rokib’s thesis research focuses on how particulate matter in the atmosphere, known as aerosols, influences cloud formation.

The Clark School Celebrates the Legacy and Impact of Black Engineers

At the A. James Clark School of Engineering, we honor the contributions of Black engineering trailblazers, whose accomplishments improve our society through innovation and leadership.

ChemE Students Discuss Climate Change Policy on Capitol Hill

During a visit to the office of Congressman Sean Casten, chemical engineering students learned how applicable their degree can be to the forging of public policy.

ChemE Undergrad Wins 2021 Hollings Scholarship

The award, provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is granted to outstanding students studying in related mission fields.

Chemical Engineering at Maryland On the Rise

2022 USNWR Graduate Rankings put ChemE at Maryland at #19.

Maryland Graduate Engineering Ranked #10 Public in the Nation

From extreme batteries to windows made from wood, Clark School’s trendsetting work ranks it among the country’s Top 10 public engineering schools for the 3rd consecutive year.

UMD Research Team Awarded $385K NSF Grant for PEARLS Study

Asa-Awuku, Duncan and Terrell-Shockley aim to steer students from non-traditional geoscience backgrounds into collaborative geoscience work.

ChBE Research Team Receives $600K NSF Grant

Akua Asa-Awuku and Taylor Woehl will study the interactions between organic vapor in the atmosphere and aerosols.

ChBE Undergrad is Recipient of the 2019 Roberta Ma Scholarship

Scholarship intended to assist international students with transition. 

Measuring Change in the Atmosphere

Akua Asa-Awuku strives to understand the molecular components of the atmosphere that exist at the ultrasmall nanoscale.

UMD Faculty Awarded ED Grant to Increase Doctoral Degrees in Areas of National Need

The nine-year award is part of ED's Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need program, also known as GAANN.

ChBE Prof Asa-Awuku Battles Air Quality Issues in Maryland

Akua Asa-Awuku - recently interview by WIRED - works with Thriving Earth Exchange to counter the effects of environmental degradation and legislative reform in Brandywine.

Akua Asa-Awuku Strives to Improve Air Quality and Related Climate Change Policy

ChBE Associate Professor Akua Asa-Awuku is exploring aerosols and the impact they have on human health and the environment.

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