If you’re ever looking for Arshad Arjunan Nair, he’s probably huddled in his office near a computer or two.

The University at Albany post-doctorate associate has spent the past several years studying climate, specifically when it comes to ammonia.

“I try to understand how ammonia impacts aerosols. These are tiny particles in the atmosphere that affect things from clouds to climate and even public health,” says Nair.

This is information he has spent years compiling and tracking. He uses artificial intelligence to help fill in any gaps.

The research has been the centerpiece of his time at UAlbany. Thanks to the resources and guidance of faculty on campus, he was awarded the SUNY Chancellor Distinguished Ph.D. Graduate Dissertation Award.

“I’m very proud of him to achieve to the level he has achieved now and I also look forward to his future success,” says Fangqun Yu, a senior research faculty member at UAlbany.

The award came with a monetary prize, but perhaps the most fulfilling part for Nair is knowing all those hours around a computer have been worth it.

“To know that the things you do, the questions that you seek to answer are of relevance and will help impact people’s lives, these are things that make me really happy,” says Nair.