By Robert Nishida, University of Waterloo
Tyler Johnson, PhD, PEng
CTO and Co-founder at Atmose Ltd.
How did you get involved in the aerosol science community?
Aerosol science was not on my radar until I was looking for a summer research job during my undergrad at the University of Alberta. In 2010, I worked as a mechanical engineering student in Jason Olfert’s aerosol lab to help develop the beta prototype of the Centrifugal Particle Mass Analyzer (CPMA). The prototype provided insights into the instrument commercialized by Cambustion, such as significantly shortening the classifier to reduce the challenges of spinning its large metal assembly to 10,000 rpm. The technical diversity and challenging nature of the work sparked my interest in aerosol research and instrumentation.
Which people or programs in our field have been the most influential to you and your path, or who have most influenced your ideas about aerosol science and technology?
I have had the opportunity to work with many great people, but three stand out in this regard. After undergrad, I continued working with Jason Olfert and completed an MSc at the University of Alberta focused on real-time effective density measurements using a CPMA and Differential Mobility Spectrometer (DMS) in tandem. The project also allowed me to work with Jonathan Symonds at Cambustion, where we used the system to characterize cigarette smoke and aircraft exhaust. During an aircraft measurement campaign in Zurich, I met Adam Boies, who later became my PhD supervisor at the University of Cambridge. My PhD focused on the theory and applications of the Aerodynamic Aerosol Classifier (AAC). This work allows the AAC, in series with a particle counter, to measure the aerodynamic size distribution of an aerosol by stepping or scanning the AAC’s setpoint, which is incorporated into Cambustion’s commercial AAC.
Jason taught me the fundamentals of aerosol science and field campaigns, focusing on aerosol classifiers and tandem arrangements. Jonathan shared a wealth of technical knowledge and provided helpful insights into instrumentation and applications. Adam expanded my technical knowledge, focusing on aerosol charging, particle characterization and engineered nanoparticles. I can’t thank these three people enough for the time and opportunities they provided, such as contributing to international projects and collaborating with other great researchers.
What is the most interesting research contribution you’ve made so far?
My research has focused mainly on aerosol classifiers and their different configurations/inversions for specific applications. Of particular interest, I developed the methodology of using an AAC and Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA) in series to measure the individual charge fractions of spherical or non-spherical aerosol particles. I have continued to use this technique to characterize aerosol chargers, gain insights into particle charging and develop bipolar charge conditioners. It has been rewarding to see other researchers also use the AAC-DMA methodology.
I have also enjoyed collaborating on multi-disciplinary research projects. For example, I worked with chemical engineers to characterize marijuana smoke following its legalization in Canada. Another time, I worked with infectious disease physicians and microbiologists to investigate the viral loads expelled by COVID-positive subjects during breathing, speaking and coughing. Such projects reinforce the value of collaboration and help me view problems from different perspectives.
What challenges were unexpected as you began and continue to grow your company?
I co-founded Atmose Ltd. to help tackle growing air-quality challenges using aerosol science. Atmose focuses on aerosol charging and its sensing applications. The original business plan was to develop one product focused on ultrafine particle sensing. However, during product development we discovered other aspects of particle charging, providing opportunities for new charge conditioners as well. It is a challenge to simultaneously develop multiple aerosol technology products, gather and allocate resources, and wear the many different “hats” required for a start-up. I’ve found that treating each aspect of the business as its own project helps — and fortunately, I’m able to leverage my nine years of experience in industrial R&D and project management gained between my MSc and PhD.
Building a company has been rewarding, especially now as Atmose hits its stride. We currently have five employees and will grow by a couple more positions (including another aerosol scientist) over the coming months to bring multiple aerosol technologies to market.
Are there new research directions that you see as particularly important or interesting?
I find the area of technology simplification and optimization particularly important. A significant opportunity exists to make aerosol technologies more accessible and usable, thus expanding their applications and resulting impacts. For example, Atmose has developed a bipolar charge conditioner with an ion source that is classified as exempt by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Thus, it can be used in many countries without the burden of licensing paperwork/cost and for field measurements (i.e. no location restrictions). By leveraging the continuous advancements in computational models, laboratory-grade instrumentation, manufacturing techniques and data analytics, new aerosol technologies can be smaller and more economical, while characterizing multiple aerosol parameters without sacrificing performance.
This Issue’s Newsletter Committee:
Editor | Sarah Petters, University of California, Riverside
Senior Assistant Editor | Lindsay Yee, University of California, Berkeley
Junior Assistant Editor | Qian Zhang, UL Research Institute
Junior Assistant Editor | Robert Nishida, University of Waterloo