Lara Gundel

Lara Gundel is a Staff Scientist and chemist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where they have conducted heterogeneous physical chemistry research focused on public health and environmental protection since 1977. Their work includes studying the chemistry of second- and thirdhand tobacco smoke and developing miniaturized instrumentation for air pollutant monitoring. Lara has also contributed as a co-principal investigator and science coordinator for the California Consortium for the Health Effects of Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke, collaborating with various institutions and sectors. Additionally, they have been an active member and Fellow of the American Association for Aerosol Research since 1988, serving on numerous committees and as a board member. Lara is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, alongside their undergraduate studies in Chemistry at Valparaiso University.