M.S. in Environmental Engineering Science, California Institute of Technology (1975)
Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Science, California Institute of Technology (1980)
Professional Experience
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Chief Engineer, Science Division (2019-present)
Senior Research Scientist (1996-Present)
Lead Scientist, Atmospheric Chemistry Research Element (1994-1996)
Manager, Atmospheric and Oceanographic Sciences Section (1992-1994)
Leader, Chemical Kinetics and Photochemistry Group (1988-Present)
Member of the Technical Staff (1979-1988)
Research Assistant, Physics Section (1971-1979)
University of California at Los Angeles
Project Scientist Joint Institute for Regional Earth Science and Engineering (JIFRESSE) (2008-Present)
Visiting Lecturer, Department of Atmospheric Sciences 1996
California Institute of Technology
Visiting Associate in Planetary Science, 1998-present
Lecturer in Geology and Planetary Science and Environmental Engineering Science, 1998-2004, 2017
Visiting Associate in Chemical Engineering, 1980-1981
Research Interests
Laboratory photochemistry, spectroscopy and kinetics studies of elementary processes important in the atmospheres of Earth and the planets
Measurements of atmospheric composition by ground-based remote sensing using advanced instrumental methods such as UV-Visible-NIR interferometry, polarimetry and high resolution spectroscopy
Analysis of global satellite data to understand mechanisms of atmospheric transformations, dynamics and long-term trends important for tropospheric air quality, solar radiation and climate change
Selected Awards
Fellow, American Geophysical Union
NASA Group Achievement Award, PanFTS Instrument Development Team (2012)
NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal (2011, 2015)
NASA Group Achievement Award, TMF NO2 Intercomparison/MOHAVE-II Campaign Teams (2009)
NASA Exceptional Service Medal (2007)
NASA Group Achievement Award, Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer Instrument Team and Ground Data System Development Team (2005)
Selected Publications
Natraj, V., Luo, M., Blavier, J-F, Payne, V. H., Posselt, D. J., Sander, S. P., Zeng, Z-C, Neu, J. L., Tremblay, D., Wu, L., Roman, J. A., Wu, Y-H and Dorsky, L. I.; Simulated multispectral temperature and atmospheric composition retrievals for the JPL GEO-IR sounder; Atmos. Meas. Tech., 2022,15, 1251-1267 [link]
Zhang, X., Berkinsky, D., Markus, C. R., Chitturi, S. R., Grieman, F. J., Okumura, M., Luo, Y., Yung, Y. L. and Sander, S. P.; Reaction of methane and UV-activated perchlorate: Relevance to heterogeneous loss of methane in the atmosphere of Mars; Icarus; 2022, 376, 114832 [link]
Li, K. F., Khoury, R., Pongetti, T. J., Sander, S. P., Mills, F. P. and Yung, Y. L.; Diurnal variability of stratospheric column NO2 measured using direct solar and lunar spectra over Table Mountain, California (34.38 degrees N); Atmos. Meas. Tech.; 2021, 14, 7495-7510 [link]
Laughner, J. L., Neu, J. L., Schimel, D., Wennberg, P.O., ……., Sander, S. P.; Societal shifts due to COVID-19 reveal large-scale complexities and feedbacks between atmospheric chemistry and climate change; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci; 2021, 118 [link]
Zeng, Z-C, Natraj, V., Xu, F., Chen, S., Gong, F-Y, Pongetti, T. J., Sung, K., Toon, G., Sander, S. P. and Yung, Y. L.; GFIT3: A full physics retrieval algorithm for remote sensing of greenhouse gases in the presence of aerosols; Atmos. Meas. Tech.; 2021, 14, 6483-6507 [link]
Choi, M., Sander, S. P., Spurr, R. J. D., Pongetti, T. J., van Harten, G., Drouin, B. J., Diner, D. J., Crisp, D., Eldering, A., Kalashnikova, O. V., Jiang, J. H., Hyon, J. J. and Fu, D.; Aerosol profiling using radiometric and polarimetric spectral measurements in the O2 near infrared bands: Estimation of information content and measurement uncertainties; Remote Sensing of Environment; 2021, 253, 112179 [link]
Yang, J., Wen, Y., Wang, Y., Zhang, S., Pinto, J. P., Pennington, E. A., Wang, Z., Wu, Y., Sander, S. P., Jiang, J. H., Hao, J., Yung, Y. L. and Seinfeld, J. H.; From COVID-19 to future electrification: Assessing traffic impacts on air quality by a machine-learning model; Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci; 2021,118 [link]
Addington, O., Zeng, Z-C, Pongetti, R., Shia, R-L, Gurney, K. R., Liang, J, Roest, G., He, L., Yung, Y. L. and Sander, S. P.; Estimating nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions for the Los Angeles megacity using mountaintop remote sensing observations; Remote Sensing of Environment; 2021, 259, 112351 [link]
Winiberg, F. A. F., Zuraski, K., Liu, Y., Sander, S. P. and Percival, C. J.; Pressure and temperature dependencies of rate coefficients for the reaction OH + NO2 + M -> products; J. Phys. Chem. A; 2020, 124, 10121-10131 [link]
Zuraski, K., Hui, A. O., Grieman, F. J., Darby, E., Møller, K. H., Winiberg, F. A. F., Percival, C. J., Smarte, M. D., Okumura, M., Kjaergaard, H. G. and Sander, S. P.; Acetonyl peroxy and hydro peroxy self- and cross-reactions: kinetics, mechanism, and chaperone enhancement from the perspective of the hydroxyl radical product; J. Phys. Chem. A; 2020,124, 8128-8143 [link]
Wang, S., Li, K-F, Zhu, D., Sander, S. P., Yung, Y. L., Pazmino, A. and Querel, R.; Solar 11-Year cycle signal in stratospheric nitrogen dioxide—similarities and discrepancies between model and NDACC observations; Solar Phys.; 2020, 295 [link]
Zeng, Z-C, Wang, Y., Pongetti, T. J., Gong, F-Y, Newman, S., Li, Y., Natraj, V., Shia, R-L, Yung, Y. L. and Sander, S. P.; Tracking the atmospheric pulse of a North American megacity from a mountaintop remote sensing observatory; Remote Sensing of Environment; 2020, 248 [link]
Cusworth, D. H., Duren, R. M., Yadav, V., Thorpe, A. K., Verhulst, K., Sander, S., Hopkins, F., Rafiq, T. and Miller, C. E.; Synthesis of methane observations across scales: strategies for deploying a multitiered observing network; Geophys. Res. Lett.;2020 [link]
Zeng, Z-C, Xu, F., Natraj, V., Pongetti, T. J., Shia, R-L, Zhang, Q., Sander, S. P. and Yung, Y. L.; Remote sensing of angular scattering effect of aerosols in a North American megacity; Remote Sensing of Environment; 2020, [link]
Wang, J., Zhou, M., Xu, X., Roudini, S., Sander, S. P., Pongetti, T. J., Miller, S. D., Reid, J. S., Hyer, E. and Spurr, R.; Development of a nighttime shortwave radiative transfer model for remote sensing of nocturnal aerosols and fires from VIIRS; Remote Sensing of Environment; 2020, 242 [link]
Zeng, Z. C., Chen, S., Natraj, V., Le, T., Xu, F., Merrelli, A., Crisp, D., Sander, S. P. and Yung, Y. L.; Constraining the vertical distribution of coastal dust aerosol using OCO-2 O2 A-band measurements; Remote Sensing of Environment; 2020,242 [link]