About
I am an atmospheric scientist, expert in new particle formation from field observations and chamber measurements. I received my Masters degree in atmospheric chemistry in Beirut, Lebanon in 2014 and my PhD in atmospheric physics in Helsinki, Finland in 2019. I later moved to Switzerland for a postdoc position at EPFL, Sion, Switzerland in 2021. I am currently working as a scientist in the Atmosphere-Biosphere-Interactions group within LAC at PSI.
Research Focus
At LAC, my focus has been on how natural emissions from vegetation affect aerosol particles, their formation, growth and contribution to clouds. For understanding these phenomena, I relied on long-term observations from multiple places around the world, including but not limited to, forests (Hyytiälä, Finland), remote locations (Central Arctic Ocean, Marambio in Antarctica and Mt. Everest in Nepal), Megacities (Beijing, China and New Delhi, India), as well as rural and urban locations in Switzerland, Lebanon, Hungary, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and so on. My latest publication focused on the contribution of agriculture to forming aerosol particles and hence cloud seeds in the atmosphere.
At the same time, I designed and performed experiments simulating our atmosphere in a gigantic chamber (CLOUD) at the European nuclear research center (CERN) in Geneva, to understand the reactions between the naturally emitted organic vapours and oxidants on a molecular level and quantify their contribution to aerosol and cloud formation. The most recent experiments show how a group of molecules namely 'Sesquiterpenes' are capable of forming much more particles and hence cloud seeds than thought before.
In addition, I am currently a volunteering scientific mentor within the Environment Academy initiative in Beirut, Lebanon. My role has been to empower communities in Lebanon most affected by environmental breakdown via bringing my scientific knowledge into play with the local communities in villages to improve their air quality via forestation.
My next research step (2024 - 2027) is dedicated to quantify the primary biological particle emissions, be it pollen grains, plant debris, bacteria.. etc. in several locations in Europe. For tackling this research, I have been awarded an SNSF Ambizione grant, for my proposal entitled 'BioPSI: Biological Particles Sources and Impacts'.
Running grants
SNSF Ambizione BIOPSI
SNSF Agora Pollen Watch
Find me
Publications
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Donahue NM, Xiao M, Marten R, Wang M, Kong W, Schervish M, et al.
Low temperature growth of sub 10 nm particles by ammonium nitrate condensation
Environmental Science: Atmospheres. 2025; 5(1): 67-81. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ea00117f
DORA PSI -
Du W, Zhao J, Dada L, Xu W, Wang Y, Shi Y, et al.
Impacts of enhanced new-particle growth events above urban roughness sublayer on cloud condensation nuclei
One Earth. 2025; 8(1): 101169 (11 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2024.12.005
DORA PSI -
Heutte B, Bergner N, Angot H, Pernov JB, Dada L, Mirrielees JA, et al.
Observations of high-time-resolution and size-resolved aerosol chemical composition and microphysics in the central Arctic: implications for climate-relevant particle properties
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2025; 25(4): 2207-2241. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-2207-2025
DORA PSI -
Stolzenburg D, Sarnela N, Bianchi F, Cai J, Cai R, Cheng Y, et al.
Incomplete mass closure in atmospheric nanoparticle growth
npj Climate and Atmospheric Science. 2025; 8(1): 75 (9 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-025-00893-5
DORA PSI -
Xiao M, Wang M, Mentler B, Garmash O, Lamkaddam H, Molteni U, et al.
Anthropogenic organic aerosol in Europe produced mainly through second-generation oxidation
Nature Geoscience. 2025; 18(3): 239-245. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-025-01645-z
DORA PSI -
Boyer M, Aliaga D, Quéléver LLJ, Bucci S, Angot H, Dada L, et al.
The annual cycle and sources of relevant aerosol precursor vapors in the central Arctic during the MOSAiC expedition
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2024; 24(22): 12595-12621. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-12595-2024
DORA PSI -
Dada L, Huang W, El-Haddad I
Molecular mechanisms of aerosol nucleation: from CLOUD chamber experiments to field observations
Chimia. 2024; 78(11): 739-747. https://doi.org/10.2533/chimia.2024.739
DORA PSI -
Daellenbach KR, Cai J, Hakala S, Dada L, Yan C, Du W, et al.
Substantial contribution of transported emissions to organic aerosol in Beijing
Nature Geoscience. 2024; 17(8): 747-754. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01493-3
DORA PSI -
Kulmala M, Ke P, Lintunen A, Peräkylä O, Lohtander A, Tuovinen S, et al.
A novel concept for assessing the potential of different boreal ecosystems to mitigate climate change (CarbonSink+Potential)
Boreal Environment Research. 2024; 29(1-6): 1-16.
DORA PSI -
Li D, Huang W, Wang D, Wang M, Thornton JA, Caudillo L, et al.
Nitrate radicals suppress biogenic new particle formation from monoterpene oxidation
Environmental Science and Technology. 2024; 58(3): 1601-1614. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c07958
DORA PSI -
Li X, Li H, Yao L, Stolzenburg D, Sarnela N, Vettikkat L, et al.
Over 20 years of observations in the boreal forest reveal a decreasing trend of atmospheric new particle formation
Boreal Environment Research. 2024; 29(1-6): 35-52.
DORA PSI -
Marten R, Xiao M, Wang M, Kong W, He X-C, Stolzenburg D, et al.
Assessing the importance of nitric acid and ammonia for particle growth in the polluted boundary layer
Environmental Science: Atmospheres. 2024; 4(2): 265-274. https://doi.org/10.1039/D3EA00001J
DORA PSI -
Rörup B, He XC, Shen J, Baalbaki R, Dada L, Sipilä M, et al.
Temperature, humidity, and ionisation effect of iodine oxoacid nucleation
Environmental Science: Atmospheres. 2024; 4(5): 531-546. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ea00013g
DORA PSI -
Schervish M, Heinritzi M, Stolzenburg D, Dada L, Wang M, Ye Q, et al.
Interactions of peroxy radicals from monoterpene and isoprene oxidation simulated in the radical volatility basis set
Environmental Science: Atmospheres. 2024; 4(7): 740-753. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ea00056k
DORA PSI -
Shen J, Russell DM, DeVivo J, Kunkler F, Baalbaki R, Mentler B, et al.
New particle formation from isoprene under upper-tropospheric conditions
Nature. 2024; 636(8041): 115-123. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08196-0
DORA PSI -
Boyer M, Aliaga D, Pernov JB, Angot H, Quéléver LLJ, Dada L, et al.
A full year of aerosol size distribution data from the central Arctic under an extreme positive Arctic Oscillation: insights from the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2023; 23(1): 389-415. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-389-2023
DORA PSI -
Casquero-Vera JA, Pérez-Ramírez D, Lyamani H, Rejano F, Casans A, Titos G, et al.
Impact of desert dust on new particle formation events and the cloud condensation nuclei budget in dust-influenced areas
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2023; 23(24): 15795-15814. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-15795-2023
DORA PSI -
Caudillo L, Surdu M, Lopez B, Wang M, Thoma M, Bräkling S, et al.
An intercomparison study of four different techniques for measuring the chemical composition of nanoparticles
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2023; 23(11): 6613-6631. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6613-2023
DORA PSI -
Dada L, Stolzenburg D, Simon M, Fischer L, Heinritzi M, Wang M, et al.
Role of sesquiterpenes in biogenic new particle formation
Science Advances. 2023; 9(36): eadi5297 (15 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi5297
DORA PSI -
Dada L, Okuljar M, Shen J, Olin M, Wu Y, Heimsch L, et al.
The synergistic role of sulfuric acid, ammonia and organics in particle formation over an agricultural land
Environmental Science: Atmospheres. 2023; 3(8): 1195-1211. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ea00065f
DORA PSI -
Finkenzeller H, Iyer S, He X-C, Simon M, Koenig TK, Lee CF, et al.
The gas-phase formation mechanism of iodic acid as an atmospheric aerosol source
Nature Chemistry. 2023; 15: 129-135. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-022-01067-z
DORA PSI -
He XC, Simon M, Iyer S, Xie HB, Rörup B, Shen J, et al.
Iodine oxoacids enhance nucleation of sulfuric acid particles in the atmosphere
Science. 2023; 382(6676): 1308-1314. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh2526
DORA PSI -
Heutte B, Bergner N, Beck I, Angot H, Dada L, Quéléver LLJ, et al.
Measurements of aerosol microphysical and chemical properties in the central Arctic atmosphere during MOSAiC
Scientific Data. 2023; 10(1): 690 (16 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02586-1
DORA PSI -
Kulmala M, Cai R, Ezhova E, Deng C, Stolzenburg D, Dada L, et al.
Direct link between the characteristics of atmospheric new particle formation and Continental Biosphere-Atmosphere-Cloud-Climate (COBACC) feedback loop
Boreal Environment Research. 2023; 28(1-6): 1-13.
DORA PSI -
Lampilahti A, Garmash O, Arshinov M, Davydov D, Belan B, Noe S, et al.
New particle formation in boreal forests of Siberia, Finland and Estonia
Boreal Environment Research. 2023; 28(1-6): 147-167.
DORA PSI -
Mishra S, Tripathi SN, Kanawade VP, Haslett SL, Dada L, Ciarelli G, et al.
Rapid night-time nanoparticle growth in Delhi driven by biomass-burning emissions
Nature Geoscience. 2023; 16(3): 224-230. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01138-x
DORA PSI -
Nie W, Yan C, Yang L, Roldin P, Liu Y, Vogel AL, et al.
NO at low concentration can enhance the formation of highly oxygenated biogenic molecules in the atmosphere
Nature Communications. 2023; 14(1): 3347 (11 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39066-4
DORA PSI -
Pfeifer J, Mahfouz NGA, Schulze BC, Mathot S, Stolzenburg D, Baalbaki R, et al.
Measurement of the collision rate coefficients between atmospheric ions and multiply charged aerosol particles in the CERN CLOUD chamber
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2023; 23(12): 6703-6718. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6703-2023
DORA PSI -
Surdu M, Lamkaddam H, Wang DS, Bell DM, Xiao M, Lee CP, et al.
Molecular understanding of the enhancement in organic aerosol mass at high relative humidity
Environmental Science and Technology. 2023; 57(6): 2297-2309. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c04587
DORA PSI -
Beck LJ, Schobesberger S, Junninen H, Lampilahti J, Manninen A, Dada L, et al.
Diurnal evolution of negative atmospheric ions above the boreal forest: from ground level to the free troposphere
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2022; 22(13): 8547-8577. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8547-2022
DORA PSI -
Cai R, Yin R, Yan C, Yang D, Deng C, Dada L, et al.
The missing base molecules in atmospheric acid-base nucleation
National Science Review. 2022; 9(10): nwac137 (13 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwac137
DORA PSI -
Dada L, Angot H, Beck I, Baccarini A, Quéléver LLJ, Boyer M, et al.
A central arctic extreme aerosol event triggered by a warm air-mass intrusion
Nature Communications. 2022; 13(1): 5290 (15 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32872-2
DORA PSI -
Du W, Cai J, Zheng F, Yan C, Zhou Y, Guo Y, et al.
Influence of aerosol chemical composition on condensation sink efficiency and new particle formation in Beijing
Environmental Science and Technology Letters. 2022; 9(5): 375-382. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.2c00159
DORA PSI -
Guo Y, Yan C, Liu Y, Qiao X, Zheng F, Zhang Y, et al.
Seasonal variation in oxygenated organic molecules in urban Beijing and their contribution to secondary organic aerosol
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2022; 22(15): 10077-10097. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10077-2022
DORA PSI -
Hakala S, Vakkari V, Bianchi F, Dada L, Deng C, Dällenbach KR, et al.
Observed coupling between air mass history, secondary growth of nucleation mode particles and aerosol pollution levels in Beijing
Environmental Science: Atmospheres. 2022; 2(2): 146-164. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ea00089f
DORA PSI -
Karlsson L, Baccarini A, Duplessis P, Baumgardner D, Brooks IM, Chang RY-W, et al.
Physical and chemical properties of cloud droplet residuals and aerosol particles during the Arctic Ocean 2018 expedition
Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. 2022; 127(11): e2021JD036383 (20 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JD036383
DORA PSI -
Kontkanen J, Stolzenburg D, Olenius T, Yan C, Dada L, Ahonen L, et al.
What controls the observed size-dependency of the growth rates of sub-10 nm atmospheric particles?
Environmental Science: Atmospheres. 2022; 2(3): 449-468. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ea00103e
DORA PSI -
Kulmala M, Junninen H, Dada L, Salma I, Weidinger T, Thén W, et al.
Quiet new particle formation in the atmosphere
Frontiers in Environmental Science. 2022; 10: 912385 (11 pp.). https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.912385
DORA PSI -
Kulmala M, Cai R, Stolzenburg D, Zhou Y, Dada L, Guo Y, et al.
The contribution of new particle formation and subsequent growth to haze formation
Environmental Science: Atmospheres. 2022; 2(3): 352-361. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ea00096a
DORA PSI -
Kulmala M, Stolzenburg D, Dada L, Cai R, Kontkanen J, Yan C, et al.
Towards a concentration closure of sub-6 nm aerosol particles and sub-3 nm atmospheric clusters
Journal of Aerosol Science. 2022; 159: 105878 (11 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2021.105878
DORA PSI -
Lehtipalo K, Ahonen LR, Baalbaki R, Sulo J, Chan T, Laurila T, et al.
The standard operating procedure for Airmodus Particle Size Magnifier and nano-Condensation Nucleus Counter
Journal of Aerosol Science. 2022; 159: 105896 (20 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2021.105896
DORA PSI -
Marten R, Xiao M, Rörup B, Wang M, Kong W, He X-C, et al.
Survival of newly formed particles in haze conditions
Environmental Science: Atmospheres. 2022; 2(3): 491-499. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2ea00007e
DORA PSI -
Olin M, Okuljar M, Rissanen MP, Kalliokoski J, Shen J, Dada L, et al.
Measurement report: atmospheric new particle formation in a coastal agricultural site explained with binPMF analysis of nitrate CI-APi-TOF spectra
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2022; 22(12): 8097-8115. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8097-2022
DORA PSI -
Quéléver LLJ, Dada L, Asmi E, Lampilahti J, Chan T, Ferrara JE, et al.
Investigation of new particle formation mechanisms and aerosol processes at Marambio Station, Antarctic Peninsula
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2022; 22(12): 8417-8437. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-8417-2022
DORA PSI -
Rörup B, Scholz W, Dada L, Leiminger M, Baalbaki R, Hansel A, et al.
Activation of sub-3 nm organic particles in the particle size magnifier using humid and dry conditions
Journal of Aerosol Science. 2022; 161: 105945 (11 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2021.105945
DORA PSI -
Shen J, Scholz W, He X-C, Zhou P, Marie G, Wang M, et al.
High gas-phase methanesulfonic acid production in the OH-initiated oxidation of dimethyl sulfide at low temperatures
Environmental Science and Technology. 2022; 56(19): 13931-13944. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c05154
DORA PSI -
Siegel K, Neuberger A, Karlsson L, Zieger P, Mattsson F, Duplessis P, et al.
Using novel molecular-level chemical composition observations of high arctic organic aerosol for predictions of cloud condensation nuclei
Environmental Science and Technology. 2022; 56(19): 13888-13899. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c02162
DORA PSI -
Su P, Joutsensaari J, Dada L, Arbayani Zaidan M, Nieminen T, Li X, et al.
New particle formation event detection with Mask R-CNN
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2022; 22(2): 1293-1309. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1293-2022
DORA PSI -
Thakur RC, Dada L, Beck LJ, Quéléver LLJ, Chan T, Marbouti M, et al.
An evaluation of new particle formation events in Helsinki during a Baltic Sea cyanobacterial summer bloom
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2022; 22(9): 6365-6391. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-6365-2022
DORA PSI -
Wang M, Xiao M, Bertozzi B, Marie G, Rörup B, Schulze B, et al.
Synergistic HNO3-H2SO4-NH3 upper tropospheric particle formation
Nature. 2022; 605(7910): 483-489. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04605-4
DORA PSI -
Yan C, Shen Y, Stolzenburg D, Dada L, Qi X, Hakala S, et al.
The effect of COVID-19 restrictions on atmospheric new particle formation in Beijing
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2022; 22(18): 12207-12220. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-12207-2022
DORA PSI -
Baalbaki R, Pikridas M, Jokinen T, Laurila T, Dada L, Bezantakos S, et al.
Towards understanding the characteristics of new particle formation in the Eastern Mediterranean
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2021; 21(11): 9223-9251. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-9223-2021
DORA PSI -
Caudillo L, Rörup B, Heinritzi M, Marie G, Simon M, Wagner AC, et al.
Chemical composition of nanoparticles from α-pinene nucleation and the influence of isoprene and relative humidity at low temperature
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2021; 21(22): 17099-17114. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17099-2021
DORA PSI -
Ozon M, Stolzenburg D, Dada L, Seppänen A, Lehtinen KEJ
Aerosol formation and growth rates from chamber experiments using Kalman smoothing
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2021; 21(16): 12595-12611. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-12595-2021
DORA PSI -
Surdu M, Pospisilova V, Xiao M, Wang M, Mentler B, Simon M, et al.
Molecular characterization of ultrafine particles using extractive electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry
Environmental Science: Atmospheres. 2021; 1(6): 434-448. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EA00050K
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Zhou Y, Hakala S, Yan C, Gao Y, Yao X, Chu B, et al.
Measurement report: new particle formation characteristics at an urban and a mountain station in northern China
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. 2021; 21(23): 17885-17906. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17885-2021
DORA PSI