Jonathan Raff joined the O'Neill faculty in 2010, three years after receiving his Ph.D. at IU. Raff's expertise involves atmospheric and environmental chemistry; specifically, how chemical reactions on surfaces play a role in air pollution, human health, and impact global climate. He is also an adjunct associate professor in the Chemistry Department.
In 2014, the National Science Foundation honored Raff with the prestigious Faculty Early Career Development Award, a five-year $649,000 award.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Raff witnessed firsthand the effects of air pollution on human health and the environment. In 2007 he returned to southern California to study atmospheric chemistry for three years at the University of California-Irvine as a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow. Raff's laboratory at IU uses interdisciplinary approaches to understand the effects of chemical reactions occurring on airborne aerosols, urban infrastructure, soil, and vegetation.
Raff and his students have published in highly ranked peer-reviewed journals. His research on air pollution removal technology has garnered national attention; one study he co-authored demonstrated the formula used in "self-cleaning" paints and building surfaces may actually cause more problems than it solves. Raff is also coauthor with Ronald Hites of the second edition of Elements of Environmental Chemistry, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
“Surface Charge Measurements with Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy Provide Insights into Nitrous Acid Speciation at the Kaolin Mineral-Air Interface,” (with G Jagdale; Chen Zhu; others), Environmental Science and Technology, (2021)
"Combined Flux Chamber and Genomics Approach Links Nitrous Acid Emissions to Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria and Archaea in Urban and Agricultural Soil," (with N.K. Scharko, U. M. E. Schütte, A. E. Berke , L. Banina, H. R. Peel, M. A. Donaldson, C. Hemmerich, and J. R. White), Environmental Science and Technology, Ron Hites Tribute volume, (2015)
