John W. Birks

John W. Birks
Birks in 2014
Born
John W. Birks

(1946-12-10)10 December 1946
Vinita, Oklahoma, United States
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
University of Arkansas
Known forResearch in atmospheric chemistry, co-developer of the nuclear winter theory and development of air pollution monitors
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Thesis[escholarship.org/uc/item/9nk8c936 Theory of the Dissociation of Diatomic Molecules and a Study of the Emission Spectra of IF] (1974)
Doctoral advisorHarold S. Johnston
Websitetwobtech.com/john-birks.html

John W. Birks (born 10 December 1946, in Vinita, Oklahoma, USA) is an American atmospheric chemist and entrepreneur who is best known for co-discovery with Paul Crutzen of the potential atmospheric effects of nuclear war known as nuclear winter.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] His most recent awards include the 2019 Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award for his contributions to atmospheric chemistry and the 2022 Future of Life Award for discovery of the nuclear winter effect.

As an entrepreneur, Birks co-founded the two technology companies, 2B Technologies and InDevR. At 2B Technologies he served as president during 2005-2020 and currently serves as Chief Scientist.[8][9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Crutzen, Paul, Birks, John (1982). "The atmosphere after a nuclear war: Twilight at noon". Ambio. 11: 114–125.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Atmospheric effects of nuclear war". Research Gate. November 1983. Retrieved 16 Dec 2021.
  4. ^ Birks, John (May–June 1983). "Darkness at Noon: The Environmental Effects of Nuclear War". Sierra. 68 (3): 58–61.
  5. ^ Stephens, Sherry L.; Birks, John W. (1985). "After Nuclear War: Perturbations in Atmospheric Chemistry". BioScience. 35 (9): 557–562. doi:10.2307/1309963. ISSN 0006-3568. JSTOR 1309963.
  6. ^ "Possible Toxic Environments Following a Nuclear War," J. W. Birks and S. L. Stephens, In The Medical Implications of Nuclear War, Institute of Medicine, National Academy Press, pp. 155-166 (1986). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK219160/
  7. ^ "John Birks". University of Colorado Boulder Department of Chemistry. October 1, 2020.
  8. ^ "Air quality monitoring innovations merit small business recognition (Environmental Factor, February 2021)". National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
  9. ^ "John Birks". 9 October 2023.