Frank Drewnick is leading a research group in the Particle Chemistry Department at Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz. His research interests focus on various aspects of anthropogenic aerosol sources: source characteristics, transport and transformation of particles, and impact of emission sources on local air quality. For this purpose, a mobile aerosol research laboratory was developed in his group, which allows measurement of particle concentration and composition as well as of trace gases in real time. Before joining the MPI for Chemistry, Frank Drewnick worked at State University of New York in Albany, NY, USA from 2001 until 2002 where he performed early work on on-line aerosol mass spectrometry to investigate the urban aerosol in New York City. He received his PhD in 2000 at University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart on the development of an aerosol mass spectrometer.

In our research group we develop, characterize and use modern aerosol measurement equipment to investigate the urban aerosol as well as emissions from anthropogenic sources. The major mission is to understand the composition, spatial distribution, and atmospheric aging of urban aerosols as well as the processes during their generation and transport, and to be able to get reliable information on their local impact.

One focus of our work is on-line aerosol mass spectrometry. In the research group the Aerodyne Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (ToF-AMS) is used, typically in combination with other on-line instruments for physical characterization of particles. We participated in the development of the ToF-AMS together with other research groups, and mainly were involved in the characterization of this instrument to allow a reliable application in field and laboratory environments.

In our research group, the mobile aerosol research laboratory MoLa was developed and constructed for flexible mobile and stationary analysis of the atmospheric aerosol. We use this platform regularly in the field and continuously improve it in parallel. MoLa provides a completely independent platform for efficient measurements of physical and chemical aerosol properties, of trace gases, and of various meteorological variables. We mainly use it for the investigation of urban aerosols and for probing of anthropogenic sources like sea-going ships, waste incineration plants, steelworks, wood combustion facilities, construction sites, and many others