Noelle Selin

Biography

I am Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Assistant Professor of Engineering Systems and Atmospheric Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. My primary academic appointment is in the Engineering Systems Division, and I have a joint appointment in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. My research uses atmospheric chemistry modeling to inform decision-making on air pollution, climate change and hazardous substances such as mercury and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). I received my PhD from Harvard University in Earth and Planetary Sciences as part of the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group, where I developed and evaluated a global, 3D model of mercury pollution. Prior to my current appointment, I was a research scientist with the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. In addition to my scientific work, I have published articles and book chapters on the interactions between science and policy in international environmental negotiations, in particular focusing on global efforts to regulate hazardous substances. Previously, I was a research associate with the Initiative on Science and Technology for Sustainability at Harvard’s Kennedy School, a visiting researcher at the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, Denmark, and worked on chemicals issues at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.