Sarah SteimerAssistant Professor

About me

My research focusses on trying to understand which airborne particles are the most detrimental to human health and how this relates to their chemical composition. It is well established that exposure to ambient particulate matter can lead to negative health effects. However, the underlying mechanisms are still not completely understood and there is a lot of uncertainty regarding which particles are the most toxic and why (differential toxicity). To study this, we are not only comparing particles from different sources, but also look at how atmospheric processing changes different particle properties including toxicity. One main tool I am using in my research are acellular assays, which have been developed as a cell-free alternative to traditional in-vitro methods. The development, testing and evaluation of such acellular assays forms another branch of my research.

If you would like to know more about my research or are interested in joining my group for a thesis project or a research internship, don’t hesitate to send me an email.

Research projects

Ongoing

Completed

nPETS – Nanoparticle emissions from the transport sector

Are nanoparticle emissions from different transport modes dangerous to health? – that is what we investigate in the nPETS project 2021 - 2025

Brake wear emissions - a hidden source of volatile organic compounds and secondary particles

Particles emitted from car brakes contribute an increasingly important part to air pollution in cities, but little is known about the gases which are also emitted. In this project, we investigate the gaseous emissions from brakes and their fate in the atmosphere.