Dr Nina J. Schleicher

Currently, I am a postdoctoral research fellow in the environmental geochemistry group at Imperial College London. My research project “Stable metal isotopes as discriminators of combustion and non-combustion sources in atmospheric particulates” is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

The main objective of this project is to gain a better understanding of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) isotope fractionation during combustion and to use Cu and Zn isotope compositions of aerosols (particulate matter, PM) to trace their natural and anthropogenic sources. To achieve this, we will be studying the isotopic composition of PM of two large cities with well-known contrasting atmospheric particulate emission inventories (field study). Additionally, we will investigate isotope fractionation processes under well-controlled laboratory conditions simulating key processes relevant for PM (laboratory study). The outcomes of this research project will enable us to better understand Cu and Zn isotope fractionation processes and to improve Cu and Zn isotope fingerprinting for aerosol source tracing.

• Urban air quality and source tracing of atmospheric particulate matter (PM)
• Inorganic composition of aerosols: trace metals, black carbon (BC), particulate mercury (HgP)
• Non-traditional stable isotopes (Zn, Cu) and geochemical cycles of trace metals in the environment

I read Geology at the University of Stuttgart, Germany (undergraduate and graduate studies, graduated with Diploma). I carried out my diploma project entitled “Source identification of sulphate salt formation on monuments in Salamanca, Spain – a stable isotope approach” at the University of Salamanca, Spain. At the University of Salamanca, I worked with Professor Clemente Recio Hernández at the Stable Isotope Laboratory.

As a PhD candidate I studied environmental geochemistry at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany, in the group of Professor Stefan Norra. In 2011, I received a PhD in Geochemistry (“Dr. rer. nat.”) from KIT with “magna cum laude” submitting a thesis on the chemical, physical, and mineralogical properties of atmospheric particulate matter in the megacity Beijing. I stayed at KIT as postdoctoral research associate, working in the area of environmental geochemistry with a main focus on air quality.

Then, I moved to London, UK, and took some time off from academia due to maternity leave and childcare obligations. During this time, I developed research ideas together with Professor Dominik Weiss and since May 2019, I am a postdoctoral research fellow at his environmental geochemistry group at Imperial College London.

Awards

• 05/2019: Postdoctoral Research Fellowship by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for two years at Imperial College London, Department of Earth Science and Engineering.
• 01/2013: Sparkassen-Umweltpreis 2012 (“Environment Award of the Sparkasse 2012”): Awarded for the PhD thesis by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the foundation of the Sparkasse Karlsruhe Ettlingen. This award was established in 1979 in order to promote excellent scientific studies that serve for the public welfare and especially for the solution of environmental protection problems.
• 09/2009: Best Poster Award: ICXOM20, International Congress of X-ray Optics and Microanalysis, 14–18 September 2009, Karlsruhe
• 06/2007: Scholarship (participation and travel costs) for the International Summer School about “Formation and growth of atmospheric aerosols” held in Hyytiälä, Finland

Memberships

• Since 11/2019: Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC)
• Since 2010: Member of the German Mineralogical Society (DMG)
• Since 2010: Member of the German Geological Union (GV)

Linke, C., Ibrahim, I., Schleicher, N., Hitzenberger, R., Andreae, M.O., Leisner, T., Schnaiter, M. 2016. A novel single-cavity three-wavelength photoacoustic spectrometer for atmospheric aerosol research. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 9, 5331-5346.

Schleicher, N.J., Schäfer, J., Chen, Y., Blanc, G., Chen, Y., Chai, F., Cen, K., Norra, S. 2016. Atmospheric particulate mercury in the megacity Beijing: Efficiency of mitigation measures and assessment of health effects. Atmospheric Environment 124, 396-403.

Chen, Y., Schleicher, N., Cen, K., Liu, X., Yu, Y., Zibat, V., Dietze, V., Fricker, M., Kaminski, U., Chen, Y., Chai, F., Norra, S. 2016. Evaluation of impact factors on PM2.5 based on long-term chemical components analyses in the megacity Beijing, China. Chemosphere 155, 234-242.

Chen, Y., Schleicher, N., Fricker, M., Cen, K., Liu, X.-L., Kaminski, U., Yu, Y., Wu, X.-F., Norra, S. 2016. Long-term variation of black carbon and PM2.5 in Beijing, China with respect to meteorological conditions and governmental measures. Environmental Pollution 212, 269-278.

Norra, S., Yu, Y., Dietze, V., Schleicher, N., Fricker, M., Kaminski, U., Chen, Y., Stüben, D., Cen, K. 2016. Seasonal dynamics of coarse atmospheric particulate matter between 2.5 μm and 80 μm in Beijing and the impact of 2008 Olympic Games. Atmospheric Environment 124, 109-118.

Schleicher, N.J., Schäfer, J., Blanc, G., Chen, Y., Chai, F., Cen, K., Norra, S. 2015. Atmospheric particulate mercury in the megacity Beijing: Spatio-temporal variations and source apportionment. Atmospheric Environment 109, 251-261.

Chen, Y., Schleicher, N., Chen, Y., Chai, F., Norra, S. 2014. The influence of governmental mitigation measures on contamination characteristics of PM2.5 in Beijing. Science of the Total Environment 490, 647-658.

Schleicher, N., Cen, K., Norra, S. 2013. Daily variations of black carbon and element concentrations of atmospheric particles in the Beijing megacity - Part 1: General temporal course and source identification. Chemie der Erde - Geochemistry 73, 51-60.

Schleicher, N., Norra, S., Fricker, M., Kaminski, U., Chen, Y., Chai, F., Wang, S., Yu, Y., Cen, K. 2013. Spatio-temporal variations of black carbon concentrations in the Megacity Beijing. Environmental Pollution 182, 382-401.

Holbach, A., Wang, L., Chen, H., Hu, W., Schleicher, N., Zheng, B., Norra, S. 2013. Water mass interaction in the confluence zone of the Daning River and the Yangtze River-a driving force for algal growth in the Three Gorges Reservoir. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 20, 7027-7037.

Yu, Y., Cen, K., Norra, S., Schleicher, N., Chen, Y. 2012. Chemical composition and origin of atmospheric particulate matter in Beijing. Geological Bulletin of China 31, 156-163.

Schleicher, N., Norra, S., Chen, Y., Chai, F., Wang, S. 2012. Efficiency of mitigation measures to reduce particulate air pollution - A case study during the Olympic Summer Games 2008 in Beijing, China. Science of the Total Environment 427-428, 146-158.

Schleicher, N., Kramar, U., Dietze, V., Kaminski, U., Norra, S. 2012. Geochemical characterization of single atmospheric particles from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption event collected at ground-based sampling sites in Germany. Atmospheric Environment 48, 113-121.

Bergmann, A., Bi, Y., Chen, L., Floehr, T., Henkelmann, B., Holbach, A., Hollert, H., Hu, W., Kranzioch, I., Klumpp, E., Küppers, S., Norra, S., Ottermanns, R., Pfister, G., Roß-Nickoll, M., Schäffer, A., Schleicher, N., Schmidt, B., Scholz- Starke, B., Schramm, K.-W., Subklew, G., Tiehm, A., Temoka, C., Wang, J., Westrich, B., Wilken, R.-D., Wolf, A., Xiang, X., Yuan, Y. 2012. The Yangtze-Hydro Project: A Chinese-German environmental program. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 19, 1341-1344.

Yu, Y., Schleicher, N., Norra, S., Fricker, M., Dietze, V., Kaminski, U., Cen, K., Stüben, D. 2011. Dynamics and origin of PM2.5 during a three-year sampling period in Beijing, China. Journal of Environmental Monitoring 13, 334-346.

Schleicher, N.J., Norra, S., Chai, F., Chen, Y., Wang, S., Cen, K., Yu, Y., Stüben, D. 2011. Temporal variability of trace metal mobility of urban particulate matter from Beijing - A contribution to health impact assessments of aerosols. Atmospheric Environment 45, 7248-7265.

Schleicher, N., Norra, S., Dietze, V., Yu, Y., Fricker, M., Kaminski, U., Chen, Y., Cen, K. 2011. The effect of mitigation measures on size distributed mass concentrations of atmospheric particles and black carbon concentrations during the Olympic Summer Games 2008 in Beijing. Science of the Total Environment 412-413, 185-193.

Schleicher, N., Norra, S., Chai, F., Chen, Y., Wang, S., Stüben, D. 2010. Anthropogenic versus geogenic contribution to total suspended atmospheric particulate matter and its variations during a two-year sampling period in Beijing, China. Journal of Environmental Monitoring 12, 434-441.

Schleicher, N., Hernández, C.R. 2010. Source identification of sulphate forming salts on sandstones from monuments in Salamanca, Spain - a stable isotope approach. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 17, 770-778.