Jaymi Lee Smith
VerifiedUniversity of California, Irvine · Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies
Active 1951–2026
About
Jaymi Lee Smith is a member of the University of California, Irvine faculty since 2007 and has served as Associate Dean of the Graduate Division since 2021. She was named the fourth Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate Division on an interim basis starting July 1, 2024, succeeding Dean Gillian Hayes. Professor Smith has participated in the Provost's Leadership Academy and has served as an equity advisor for the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, as well as a member of the Graduate Council. Her professional background includes over 30 years of managing theater, event, and architectural lighting design across the United States, China, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Spain. She is a member of United Scenic Artists and her lighting designs have been used at notable theaters such as South Coast Repertory, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, and La Jolla Playhouse. Her production work includes six seasons at the Utah Shakespeare Festival and three productions at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Prior to her academic career, she taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Associated Colleges of the Midwest, and The Theatre School at DePaul University.
Research topics
- Ecology
- Atmospheric sciences
- Environmental chemistry
- Chemistry
- Environmental science
Selected publications
Ultrafine aerosol formation and growth in a Southern California desert
Aerosol Science and Technology · 2026-03-10 · 1 citations
articleSenior authorCorrespondingAccelerated reduction of atmospheric ultrafine particles since China VI vehicle emission standards
npj Climate and Atmospheric Science · 2026-01-23 · 1 citations
articleOpen accessVehicle emission is a major source of urban ultrafine particles (UFPs), yet measurement and emission control for UFP lags significantly behind that of other pollutants. The China VI emission standard, one of the strictest globally, introduced the nation’s first particle number (PN) limits. This study focused on real-world PN emissions in the capital city Beijing, which adopted China VI ahead of the national schedule in 2019. Based on long-term particle number size distribution measurements and online UFP composition analysis, a pronounced decline in emission rates of vehicle-attributed PN from 2019 to 2023 was found, resulting in decreases of ~70% for atmospheric PN3–30 nm, ~48% for PN30–100 nm, and ~42% for PN>100 nm. These reductions substantially outpace those observed for PM2.5 and NO2. Early implementation of China VI, coupled with rapid electric vehicle adoption, are the primary drivers behind Beijing’s more pronounced PN mitigation (−44%) compared with nationwide (−33%). These findings highlight the effectiveness of more stringent vehicle emission standards and electric vehicle strategies in reducing atmospheric UFPs, shedding light on future vehicle emission regulations.
ACS ES&T Air · 2026-03-23
articleSenior authorCorrespondingUltrafine particles impact climate and weather as a main source of cloud condensation nuclei. The vertical transport of boundary layer pollutants to the upper troposphere during convection drives new particle formation. During midlatitude summers, atmospheric convection occurs frequently. However, the extent to which convection influences upper tropospheric particle formation remains unclear. Herein, we report measurements of ultrafine particles in the upper troposphere during the Deep Convective Clouds and Chemistry (DC3) campaign. Across 21 flights tracking convective outflow, several flights exhibited elevated concentrations of particles with diameters of less than 100 nm (N100 nm), often exceeding 1000 cm–3. One particular flight followed and intersected a plume downwind several times showing an ultrafine particle growth rate of 1.4 ± 0.1 nm h–1 due to photochemical aging. Condensation of sulfuric acid can only explain a small fraction of this growth. Gas-phase measurements indicate that oxidized organic vapors likely contribute to particle growth in this region. Future measurements are needed to constrain these processes in atmospheric models, particularly of the molecular speciation of gas-phase precursors. Upper tropospheric ultrafine particles in this region may become more important as climate models project increasing frequency of atmospheric convection in the future.
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society · 2025-11-04
articleAbstract The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility has established a new site in the Bankhead National Forest (BNF) in northern Alabama that will gather data on how clouds, the land surface, and aerosols interact at a hierarchy of scales important to understanding and simulating the Earth system. Starting its operations in October 2024, the BNF site provides a multiyear opportunity for scientists to unravel complex land–atmosphere interactions. A suite of ground-based sensors, elevated tower-based instrumentation, and aerial facilities will enable scientists to investigate those interactions from within the canopy to the clouds. The southeastern United States was recommended by the DOE ARM and its collaborators in the broader community as an important region to address their common scientific questions, given the region’s abundant surface-forced convective clouds and mesoscale convective systems that pose ongoing challenges in Earth system models. The region is also home to significant terrain complexity and land-use heterogeneity that will unleash new understanding of anthropogenic and biogenic aerosol processes, boundary layer aerosol–cloud interactions, and the interactions between the terrestrial ecosystem and coupled aerosol–cloud–radiation processes.
Impact of particle phase state on the competition between condensation and coagulation
Environmental Science Atmospheres · 2025-11-14
articleOpen accessThe evolution of particle size distribution of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) is influenced by condensation and coagulation.
Author response for "Organic composition of ultrafine particles formed from automotive braking"
2025-10-08
peer-reviewSenior authorEnvironmental Science & Technology · 2025-04-30 · 3 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorCorrespondingAs worldwide trends move toward replacing combustion transportation modes with electric vehicles, characterizing non-tailpipe emissions, such as those from brake wear, becomes increasingly important. Nitrous acid (HONO), nitryl chloride (ClNO2), and dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) are important sources of radical oxidants (e.g., •OH, •Cl, •NO3) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the atmosphere, driving the chemistry that leads to air quality degradation. Discrepancies between measurements and model predictions indicate that there are significant unknown sources of these species, particularly HONO, where the contributions of different formation processes have been controversial since the first ambient observations in the 1970s. We report the generation of these reactive nitrogen species during automotive braking using chemical ionization mass spectrometry configured with iodide reagent ion. Substantial HONO levels are observed from ceramic and semi-metallic brake pads, and smaller quantities of ClNO2 and N2O5 were also detected. We propose that HONO is formed in the hot plume emanating from the brake rotor via abstraction by NO2 of allylic and aldehyde hydrogen atoms found in the complex mixture of volatile organic compounds emitted simultaneously. These results suggest that emissions from automotive braking must be taken into account in urban oxidation chemistry.
Organic composition of ultrafine particles formed from automotive braking
Environmental Science Processes & Impacts · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations
articleSenior author, automotive brake and tire wear) are quickly replacing exhaust emissions as the dominant traffic particulate pollutant. A significant fraction of the emissions are complex mixtures of organic compounds whose composition is not well known. Due to their unique health implications, knowledge of the composition of ultrafine particles (<100 nm in diameter) is of particular interest. Here we report on the size-selected organic composition of ultrafine particles nucleated during high brake temperature conditions generated using a custom brake dynamometer system and two common brake pad types. Using high resolution mass spectrometry, we find that the organic composition of these particles is dominated by species containing oxygen (CHO) and nitrogen (CHN/CHON). Many of these compounds are unsaturated and are attributed to the thermal degradation of resin material used in the pad formulation. Other abundant compounds include various glycols and amines, several of which are unequivocally identified and discussed as potential marker compounds for brake wear emissions. A significant fraction of highly oxidized, low volatility species observed in ultrafine particles could not be conclusively attributed to the thermal degradation of the brake material, indicating the presence of chemical pathways unique to the frictional heating process. This emphasizes the importance of using a brake dynamometer to generate brake wear particles as opposed to other strategies.
Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres · 2025-09-13 · 1 citations
articleOpen accessAbstract New particle formation and growth (NPF&G) is the process by which ultrafine particles are formed from gas‐phase precursors. NPF&G is the dominant source of global aerosol number with important influences on climate. Most observations of NPF&G events are conducted at stationary sites; however, NPF&G observed from stationary sites is influenced by gradual or rapid changes in the air masses passing over the site, complicating NPF&G analysis. In this work, we use observations and a 3D aerosol model to compare aerosol size distributions at a stationary site (Southern Great Plains [SGP] observatory, Oklahoma, USA) and along Lagrangian trajectories crossing the site. The model simulates the NPF&G events reasonably well at SGP. Using the model to compare the Lagrangian and stationary perspectives, we can explain previously unanalyzable days with some evidence of NPF&G as either non‐event or analyzable NPF&G days. We find most of the unanalyzable NPF&G days are due to isolated and inhomogeneous NPF&G occurring upwind of the stationary site, often in the outflow of urban regions. Finally, we compare formation rates of 3 nm particles, growth rates, and the survival probability of 3 nm particles growing to 25 nm between the stationary and Lagrangian perspectives. Because of the much larger number of analyzable days along the Lagrangian trajectories, this perspective potentially provides more robust statistics and better characterization of NPF&G event extremes. Our method for extracting chemical/physical properties along Lagrangian trajectories from 3D models can be applied to a wide range of science questions.
Seasonal investigation of ultrafine-particle organic composition in an eastern Amazonian rainforest
Atmospheric chemistry and physics · 2025-01-27 · 4 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorAbstract. Reports on the composition of ultrafine particles (<100 nm in diameter) in the Amazon are scarce, due in part to the fact that new-particle formation has rarely been observed near ground level. Ultrafine particles near the surface have nevertheless been observed, leaving open questions regarding the sources and chemistry of their formation and growth, particularly as these vary across seasons. Here, we present measurements of the composition of ultrafine particles collected in the Tapajós National Forest (2.857° S, 54.959° W) during three different seasonal periods: 10–30 September 2016 (SEP), 18 November–23 December 2016 (DEC), and 22 May–21 June 2017 (JUN). Size-selected (5–70 nm) particles were collected daily (for 22 h each day) using an offline sampler. Samples collected during the three time periods were compiled and analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry. Our findings suggest a sustained influence of isoprene organosulfate chemistry on ultrafine particles from the different periods. We present chemical evidence that indicates that biological-spore fragmentation impacted ultrafine-particle composition during the late wet season (JUN), while chemical markers for biomass burning and secondary chemistry peaked during the dry season (SEP and DEC). Higher oxidation states and degrees of unsaturation were observed for organics in the dry season (SEP and DEC), suggesting greater extents of aerosol aging. Finally, applying a volatility parameterization to the observed compounds suggests that organic sulfur species are likely key drivers of new-particle growth in the region due to their low volatility compared to other species.
Recent grants
NSF · $289k · 2017–2021
Chemically Resolving the Growth of Gas Phase Clusters into Nanoparticles
NSF · $482k · 2020–2025
NSF · $1.4M · 2011–2016
Collaborative Research: Extreme Rainfall in Urban Environments
NSF · $283k · 2015–2019
NSF · $521k · 2018–2022
Frequent coauthors
- 146 shared
Douglas R. Worsnop
University of Helsinki
- 121 shared
Ari Laaksonen
University of Eastern Finland
- 102 shared
Chongai Kuang
Brookhaven National Laboratory
- 102 shared
Markku Kulmala
University of Helsinki
- 100 shared
Jian Wang
Washington University in St. Louis
- 94 shared
Michael J. Lawler
- 91 shared
Joel A. Thornton
- 89 shared
Alex Guenther
University of California, Irvine
Education
- 2000
Ph.D, Environmental Science and Engineering, Chemistry Minor
California Institute of Technology
- 1984
B.S., Physics, Philosophy Minor
Harvey Mudd College
Awards & honors
- Provost's Leadership Academy
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