Barbara J. Finlayson-Pitts is a Canadian-American atmospheric chemist. She is a professor in the chemistry department at the University of California, Irvine and is the Director of AirUCI Institute.[1] Finlayson-Pitts and James N. Pitts, Jr. are the authors of Chemistry of the Upper and Lower Atmosphere: Theory, Experiments, and Applications (1999).[2] She has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences since 2006[3] and is the laureate for the 2017 Garvan–Olin Medal.[4] In 2016 she co-chaired the National Academy of Science report "The Future of Atmospheric Chemistry Research" [5]
Finlayson-Pitts investigates the chemistry of the upper and lower atmosphere and ways in which chemical reactions in the atmosphere are involved in air pollution and climate change.[6][7][8]
She and her team work to develop a molecular-level understanding of gaseous reactions of particles in different layers of the atmosphere, and at the interfaces between layers. They also study the interface between air and water.[9] She emphasizes the "urgency for addressing climate change at all levels of government in the U.S. and globally".[10]