Principal and Lead Scientist
Boulder A.I.R. LLC, CO
Dr. Helmig holds a chemistry diploma degree from the University of Bochum, Germany, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Duisburg, Germany. He conducted his postdoctoral research at the University of California Statewide Air Pollution Research Center in Riverside and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. He subsequently received an EPA Young Investigator Award and became a research professor at the University of Colorado. The core of his research is the study of air composition, air quality, atmospheric chemistry, composition changes, and atmospheric transport, with an emphasis on local to regional air quality. Most recently, he became the founder and owner of Boulder A.I.R. Boulder A.I.R. has been contracted by local governments to implement the monitoring of air quality indicators at several locations across the Colorado Front Range. This program builds on instrumental and data processing advancements that facilitate the real-time reporting of air pollutants at public websites. A particular goal is the assessment of the influence of oil and natural gas development on air quality and tracking atmospheric composition changes from the expansion of the industry and implementation of new policies in Colorado. Data have provided new insight into influences from oil and gas emissions on regional air quality and surface ozone. These results have received considerable attention from citizens, environmental groups, and regulators, and been essential pieces of information in recent Colorado legislature sessions on defining oil and gas regulations. Dr. Helmig’s research has resulted in some 250 peer-reviewed publications. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Atmospheric Science Domian of the online, non-profit journal Elementa-Science of the Anthropocene that is published by the University of California Press. In that role, he is overseeing several special publication features, such as e,g, “Oil and Natural Gas Development: Air Quality, Climate Science, and Policy”.
Airborne Radioactivity Downwind of Colorado's Largest Oil Refinery
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
1:50pm – 2:10pm ET
