July 7, 2016

Dean Barbara K. Rimer has announced her intention to appoint Barbara J. Turpin, PhD, as the new chair of the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (ESE) at the UNC-Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. The final appointment, to be effective Sept. 1, is pending approval by the UNC board of trustees.

Dr. Barbara Turpin, headshot

Dr. Barbara Turpin

Turpin, who joined the Gillings School faculty in 2015, earned a doctorate at Oregon Health and Science University’s School of Science and Engineering in 1990. In 1994, she joined the faculty of Rutgers University’s Department of Environmental Sciences, where she served in a number of capacities – from graduate program director to distinguished professor to George H. Cook campus dean for undergraduate education – until she came to UNC-Chapel Hill.

Turpin teaches “Engineering Tools for Environmental Problem-Solving,” at the Gillings School. She has said she is interested in “engaging students in the discovery process so they benefit from and contribute to research, develop leadership capacity and civic responsibility, and are able to make positive societal change.”

Internationally renowned for her work on the atmospheric chemistry and physics of aerosols, Turpin is author or co-author of more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals. A primary focus of her research is to improve understanding of the impact of air pollution emissions upon human health.

In recognition of her stature in the community of air-quality scientists, Turpin was appointed in 2015 for a three-year term of service on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Particulate Matter Review Panel, part of the EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). CASAC members provide independent expert advice to the EPA administrator regarding review of national air quality standards that are designed to protect the public’s health.

She has received more than $8 million in grants, many from federal agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and National Science Foundation.

In 2016, she was awarded, along with Gillings School colleague Jason Surratt, PhD, a three-year, $592,448 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association to study the effect of biomass burning (fires) on air quality and climate change. Surratt is an associate professor of environmental sciences and engineering.

Turpin is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for Aerosol Research, of which served as president from 2012 to 2013. She also is an associate editor of the journal Environmental Science and Technology and has served on the boards of several other professional journals.

“I am really enthusiastic about Dr. Turpin’s potential as the next chair of this powerful, accomplished department,” Rimer said. “Barb is a stellar scientist, but in addition to that, she brings substantial leadership experience that will be an important asset as the department moves forward. She will be inclusive and strengthen collaborations across the department, School and University.”

Turpin succeeds Michael Aitken, PhD, professor of environmental sciences and engineering at the Gillings School, who has served as chair of the department since 2006.

“Barb is an excellent choice to be the next chair of ESE,” Aitken said. “She is an accomplished scholar and educator, already has substantive administrative experience and is highly regarded as a collegial team player by her peers. The department will be in good hands.”

Rimer also thanked Aitken for his many years of service and leadership. Aitken joined the Gillings School faculty in 1988.

“I have a great deal of respect for the leadership that the Gillings School’s Department of Environmental Science and Engineering has provided over the last 95 years, educating professionals, advancing knowledge and providing advice that has contributed to improved environmental quality and public health,” Turpin said. “It is an honor to serve as chair as we look to address the environmental challenges of the future.”


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Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu

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