Vishal Verma
Vishal Verma
  • Associate Professor
(217) 265-6703
3230D Newmark Civil Engineering Bldg

For More Information

Education

  • Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 2011
  • M.Tech., Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Mumbai, India, 2004
  • B.E., Environmental Engineering, Delhi College of Engineering, University of Delhi, Delhi, India, 2002

Biography

Vishal Verma is an Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with research and education focus on assessing the health impacts of ambient PM2.5. Dr. Verma obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California (2011). Before joining UIUC, he worked as a research scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology (2011-2015). In his 15 years of research career, he has published 45 peer-reviewed articles in highly ranked journals (12 in ES&T and ES&T letters) and has presented his work in numerous seminars/meetings and conferences, including 30 invited talks. Dr. Verma is past chair of the Health Related Aerosol working group at AAAR and has earned numerous awards and recognitions for his work including the NSF CAREER award (2019), Honorable Mention for the James J. Morgan Early Career Award from Environmental Science and Technology journal, UIUC Center for Advanced Study Fellow (2021-22), and invited chair for special symposiums/sessions on Air Pollution and Health in the annual AAAR and AGU conferences.

Academic Positions

  • Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, 2023-Present
  • Assistant Professor, Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, April 1, 2023 - March 31, 2026
  • Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile, January 07-January 12, 2018
  • Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, 2015-2023
  • Research Scientist, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 2011-2015

Chapters in Books

Selected Articles in Journals

Presentations

  • (S)(P) Verma, V., Moore, K.F., Minguillon, M.C., Sioutas, C. Inter- and intra-community variability in continuous coarse particulate matter (PM10-2.5) concentrations in the Los Angeles area. American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Minneapolis, MN, October 26–30, 2009.
  • (S)(P) Verma, V., Moore, K.F., Minguillon, M.C., Sioutas, C. Spatial variability in continuous coarse particulate matter (PM10-2.5) concentrations in the Los Angeles area, Air Pollution and Health: Bridging the Gap from Sources to Health Outcomes (AAAR and AWMA specialty conference), San Diego, CA, March 22-26, 2010.
  • (S)(P) Verma, V., Ning, Z., Cho, A.K., Schauer, J.J., Shafer, M.M., Sioutas, C. Diurnal variation in Toxicity of urban quasi-ultrafine particles from primary and secondary sources, Air Pollution and Health: Bridging the Gap from Sources to Health Outcomes (AAAR and AWMA specialty conference), San Diego, CA, March 22-26, 2010.
  • (S)(P) Verma, V., Ning, Z., Cho, A.K., Schauer, J.J., Shafer, M.M., Sioutas, C. Redox activity of urban quasi-ultrafine particles from primary and secondary sources. American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Minneapolis, MN, October 26–30, 2009.
  • (S)(P) Verma, V., Pakbin, P., Cheung K.C., Sioutas, C. Physicochemical and toxicological characteristics of semi-volatile particulate matter in an urban environment. American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Minneapolis, MN, October 26–30, 2009.
  • (S)(P) Verma, V., Pakbin, P., Cheung, K.L., Cho, A.K., Schauer, J.J, Shafer, M.M, Kleinman, M.T., Sioutas, C. Toxicity of semi-volatile components of quasi-ultrafine particles in an urban atmosphere, American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 13-17, 2010.
  • (S)(P) Verma, V., Pakbin, P., Cheung, K.L., Cho, A.K., Schauer, J.J, Shafer, M.M., Kleinman, M.T., Sioutas, C. Oxidative characteristics of semi-volatile components of quasi-ultrafine particles in an urban atmosphere. American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Portland, OR, October 25-29, 2010.
  • (S)(P) Verma, V., Polidori, A., Schauer, J.J., Shafer, M.M., Cassee, F.R., Sioutas, C. Physicochemical and toxicological profiles of particulate matter in Los Angeles during the October 2007 southern California wildfires. American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Orlando, Florida, October 20 - 24, 2008.
  • (S)(P) Verma, V., Shafer, M.M., Schauer, J.J., Sioutas, C. Contribution of transition metals in the reactive oxygen species activity of PM emissions from retrofitted heavy-duty vehicles, American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Portland, OR, October 25-29, 2010.
  • (W) Yu, H., Zhao, H., Stephens, B., Verma, V. Comparison of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation ability of size-segregated aerosols of ambient origin in indoor and outdoor environments. American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Raleigh, NC, October 16 - 20, 2017.
  • (W) Fang, T., Zeng, L., Gao, D., Guo, H., Verma, V., Stefaniak, A.B., Nenes, A., Weber, R.J. Ambient size distributions and lung deposition of aerosol dithiothreitol-measured oxidative potential: a contrast between soluble and insoluble particles, American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Raleigh, NC, October 16 - 20, 2017.
  • (W) Verma, V., Xiong, Q., Yu, H., Wang, R. Rethinking the dithiothreitol based PM oxidative potential: measuring antioxidant consumption versus ROS generation. American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Portland, OR, October 17-21, 2016.
  • Atwi, K., Shihadeh, A., Sioutas, C., Shirmohammadi, F., Verma, V., Schauer, J. A comparison of oxidative potential of POA and SOA derived from α-pinene and gasoline engine exhaust precursors. American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Raleigh, NC, October 16 - 20, 2017.
  • Verma, V., Fang, T., Bates, J.T., Abrams, J., Klein, M., Strickland, M.J., Sarnat, S.E., Chang, H., Mulholland, J., Tolbert, P.E., Russell, A.G., Devlin, R., Weber, R.J. Air pollution and health. American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Minneapolis, MN, October 12-16, 2015.
  • Verma, V., Fang, T., Bates, J.T., Abrams, J., Klein, M., Strickland, M.J., Sarnat, S.E., Chang, H., Mulholland, J., Tolbert, P.E., Russell, A.G., Devlin, R., Weber, R.J. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) associated with the ambient particulate matter, International Society of Exposure Sciences, Henderson, Nevada, October 18-22, 2015.
  • Verma, V., Fang, T., Guo, H., King, L., Edgerton, E., Peltier, R., Russell, A.G., Weber, R.J. Sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation properties of atmospheric aerosols in southeastern United States, American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Orlando, FL, October 20 - 24, 2014.
  • Verma, V., Fang, T., Nga, N.L., Lu, X., Russell, A.G., Weber, R.J. Application of aerosol mass spectrometry to infer the sources of the reactive oxygen species generating properties of organic aerosols in the southeastern United States. American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Orlando, FL, October 20 - 24, 2014.
  • Verma, V., Fang, T., Nga, N.L., Lu, X., Russell, A.G., Weber, R.J. Biomass burning as an important source of reactive oxygen species associated with the atmospheric aerosols in southeastern United States – Implications for health effects of ambient particulate matter, American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, San Francisco, CA, December 15-19, 2014.
  • Verma, V., Fang, T., Wang, Y., Ng, N.L., Weber, R.J. Seasonal and spatial profiles of the oxidative properties of ambient particles in southeast US, Science Advisory Committee meeting of Southeastern Center for Air Pollution and Epidemiology, Atlanta, GA, November 14, 2013.
  • Verma, V., Fang, T., Weber, R.J. Spatial and temporal assessment of the oxidative properties of ambient aerosols in southeastern US, Clean Air Research Centers Annual Meeting, Seattle, July 25-26, 2013.
  • Verma, V., Fang, T., Weber, R.J. Tracing the spatial and seasonal trends in the oxidative activity of ambient PM in southeast US, American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Portland, OR, September 30 - October 4, 2013.
  • Verma, V., Kotra, N., King, L., Weber, R.J. Oxidative properties of ambient aerosols – PM associated ROS generation, Clean Air Research Centers Annual Meeting, hosted by the Harvard Clean Air Research Center, Boston, June 21 and 22, 2012.
  • Verma, V., Ng, N.L., Kotra, N., King, L., Liu, J., Guo, H., Edgerton, E., Weber, R.J. Performance evaluation of a Recently Developed Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM). American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Minneapolis, MN, October 08-12, 2012.
  • Verma, V., Rico-Martinez, R., Kotra, N., King, L., Liu, J., Snell, T., Weber, R.J. Contribution of HULIS in the ROS generating potential of ambient atmospheric aerosols. American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Minneapolis, MN, October 08-12, 2012.
  • Verma, V., Rico-Martinez, R., Kotra, N., King, L., Liu, J., Snell, T., Weber, R.J., Russell, A.G. Contribution of water-soluble and insoluble species and their hydrophobic/hydrophilic sub-fractions in the ROS generating potential of ambient atmospheric aerosols. International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) Open Science Conference, Beijing, China, September 17-21, 2012.
  • Verma, V., Wang, Y., Afifi, R., Fang, T., Rowland, J., Russell, A.G., Weber, R.J. On the contribution of atmospheric quinones to reactive oxygen species associated with water-soluble PM2.5, American Association of Aerosol Research Conference (AAAR), Orlando, FL, October 20 - 24, 2014.

Service on Department Committees

  • Member of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) faculty search committee, UIUC, 2018-2019.
  • Chair of the admission committee for Environmental Engineering and Science Program (AY: 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and 2019-2020)
  • Coordinated graduate recruitment weekend presentations in Environmental Engineering and Science Program (Spring 2016, Spring 2017 and Spring 2018)
  • Participated in CEE 195: About Civil Engineering seminars to describe the Environmental Engineering and Science Program to the CEE freshman class (Fall 2016, Fall 2017 and Fall 2018)

Recent Courses Taught

  • CEE 435 - Public Health Engineering
  • CEE 449 - Environmental Engineering Lab
  • CEE 498 PH3 (CEE 498 PH4, CEE 498 PHO, CEE 498 PO3, CEE 498 PO4) - Public Health Engineering
  • CEE 545 (ATMS 535) - Aerosol Sampling and Analysis