I am an atmospheric scientist in Boulder, Colorado with a strong background in instrument development.  I currently serve as the Executive Editor of Atmospheric Measurement Techniques and am a Research Affiliate at the University of Colorado with Joost de Gouw.

I earned my PhD from Caltech, where I designed and constructed the first observatory in the Total Carbon Coumn Observing Network to measure CO2, CH4, N2O, CO, and H2O.

I began working at the NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory as a National Academies Postdoctoral Fellow in 2006, and continued as a staff scientist with the University of Colorado CIRES and NOAA.  I developed and deployed custom spectroscopic instruments to measure gas concentrations and aerosol properties from ground sites and aircraft.  In 2012, I received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).  I left the NOAA Chemical Sciences Laboratory in 2022.

I have co-authored 65 peer-reviewed publications, with a focus on the chemistry of reactive trace gases, optical properties of absorbing aerosol, and new instrument development. 

Contact: rebecca.washenfelder@gmail.com