-
Professor
-
Affiliations:
- University of Utah, Department of Atmospheric Sciences
- Director, Storm Peak Laboratory
-
gannet.hallar@utah.edu
-
CV
Professional interest
The overarching theme of my research is using high quality measurements of trace gases,
aerosol physical and chemical properties, and cloud microphysics to understand connections
between the biosphere, atmosphere, and climate, along with the impact of anthropogenic
emissions on these connections. More specifically, currently my research uses high
elevation sites, combined with airborne measurements, to study the formation processes
of Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) and Ice Nuclei (IN) and how differing formation
processes impact mixed-phase cloud microphysics. This research topic is stemmed in
many potential formation mechanisms of aerosols, including nucleation, secondary organic
aerosols, and primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP's).
In addition to my research, I guided two large National Science Foundation programs
to support diversity in the atmospheric sciences. Geoscience Research at Storm Peak
(GRASP) is a program providing mentoring and field research experiences for a diverse
group of undergraduate students. Atmospheric Science Collaborations and Enriching
NeTworks (ASCENT) is a program focusing on women in atmospheric science/meteorology
to initiate positive professional relationships among female faculty of different
ranks and postdoctoral researchers. Finally, I am interested in science administration
and have served as the Program Director of Physical and Dynamic Meteorology within
the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences at the National Science Foundation.
About me
Dr. Hallar attended a very small rural high school in central Missouri, where she was inspired by the beauty of math, through a physics class provided by the University of Oklahoma on a videocassette recorder. She also discovered her love of the mountains and skiing via a few family trips to Colorado in high school. She then attended a liberal arts college in Northern Missouri, Truman State University, and completed a Bachelor’s degree in Physics. During college, Dr. Hallar also had an internship at the National Weather Service office near her childhood farm, and really only enjoyed fixing the broken equipment. These experiences led her to the University of Colorado, where she received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences. During her graduate work, she took atmospheric measurements around the world, including a winter experience in Antarctica. After graduate school, Dr. Hallar accepted a postdoctoral research position as a National Research Council Fellow at NASA Ames in California. In this position, she traveled to a remote island in the Indian Ocean to study air pollution. She then joined the Desert Research Institute as Director of Storm Peak Laboratory, a high elevation atmospheric science laboratory in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Storm Peak Laboratory has undergone major changes under her leadership including new instrumentation, new research foci, new field courses, and a significant building expansion. Dr. Hallar is now a Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Utah, where she leads the Hallar Aerosol Research Team (HART). Her path has been possible due to two strong mentors, Dr. Maria Di Stefano at Truman State and Dr. Linnea Avallone at the University of Colorado. She is the mother of three children, Snow (10) and Rio (8), and the step-mom to Ocean (25), and happily married to her partner in life and research, Ian McCubbin
Research Areas
-
Cloud Microphysics
-
In Situ Trace Gas Measurements
-
Aerosol Optical Properties
Education
Degree
Bachelor of Science
Masters of Science
Ph.D.
Institution
Truman State University
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
Field
Physics
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences