Professor Athanasios Nenes becomes Member of the Academia Europaea

Professor Athanasios Nenes has been elected member of the Academia Europaea in recognition of his outstanding achievements as a researcher. He heads the Laboratory of Atmospheric Processes and their Impacts at EPFL since 2018 and is a co-founding member of the Center for Air Quality Studies and Climate Change at the Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences of the Foundation of Research and Technology-Hellas in Greece.

The nominators noted that Prof. Nenes is “an international leader in the area of aerosol impacts on cloud formation, air quality and climate”, with “a unique combination of skills that allows him to do innovative and ingenious theoretical research, numerical model development, design of new instrumentation, laboratory and field work.”

Numerous achievements

His accomplishments include the development of aerosol models and aerosol-cloud parameterizations in wide use, the study of aerosol-cloud interactions, methods to constrain the acidity of atmospheric aerosol and its impacts. Prof. Nenes also co-invented the Continuous Flow Streamwise Thermal Gradient CCN chamber, a instrument that has revolutionized the measurement of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), which is central for constraining aerosol-cloud interactions and their impact on precipitation and climate.

“Being inducted into the Academia Europaea is a huge honor”, Nenes said. "Interacting with this outstanding group of scientists and contributing to the Academy's mission provides unique opportunities for impacts in research, education and policy.” 

The aim of the Academy of Europe is to promote European research, advise governments and international organizations in scientific matters, and further interdisciplinary and international research. In 2021, 366 international scholars have been elected to membership in Academia Europaea in the four Classes of humanities; social and related sciences; exact sciences and life sciences.