Herek L. Clack

Associate Professor

Location

169 EWRE

1351 Beal Avenue, 169 EWRE Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2125

Primary Website

Clack Lab

Pronouns

He/Him/His

Education

• Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering), University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 1998
• M.S. (Mechanical Engineering), University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 1997
• B.S. (Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering), MIT, Cambridge, MA, 1987

Research Interests

Research focuses on reducing the environmental and health impacts of a variety of airborne aerosols. Current areas of activity include:

• Electrostatic precipitation of aerosols with particular interest in the coupling between the fluid and electric fields (i.e., electro-hydrodynamics);
• Non-Thermal plasmas as a means for inactivating airborne infectious agents such as viruses & bacteria in ventilation air;
• Aerosol optical properties, with emphasis on new emission sources of particulate carbon and potential contributions to atmospheric climate forcing and climate change;
• Air toxic compounds emitted from combustion processes and their control;
• Liquid droplet combustion, especially non-ideal behavior contributing to formation of products of incomplete combustion.

Research consists of laboratory experiments, numerical simulations and field studies as appropriate, involving both graduate and undergraduate researchers. This research has funding from and implications for both industrial clients and federal and international agencies tasked with addressing environmental hazards relating to air quality and the emission of air pollutants.

Videos

Professor Clack combines virus deactivation and filtration to neutralize airborne pathogens (article)

Professor Clack discusses mercury in the air

Professional Service

Frontiers in Energy Research: Advanced Fossil Fuel Technologies

• Inaugural Associate Editorial Board member (2014-present)

International Society for Electrostatic Precipitation

• Member, Board of Directors (2013-present)
• Vice-President (2018-present)

National Academies, National Research Council

• Member, Committee on Changes in New Source Review Programs for Stationary Sources of Air Pollutants (2004-2006)
• Member, Committee to Examine the Disposal of Activated Carbon from the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Systems at Chemical Agent Disposal Facilities (2008-2009)
• Member, Committee on Disposal of Legacy Nerve Agent GA and Lewisite Stocks at Deseret Chemical Depot (2009)
• Member, Committee to Review the Design of the Dynasafe Static Detonation Chamber (SDC) System for the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (2010)
• Member, Board on Army Science and Technology committee Alternatives for the Demilitarization of Conventional Munitions (2017-2018)
• Member, Committee on Anticipatory Research for EPA’s Research and Development Enterprise to Inform Future Environmental Protection: The Road Ahead (2021- )

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Global Mercury Partnership

U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency/Advanced Chemical Weapons Alternatives (CMA ACWA)

• Member, Standing Advisory Committee on Chemical Demilitarization (2010-2016)

Awards

• Kenneth M. Reese Outstanding Research Scientist Award, University of Michigan College of Engineering (2019)
• Harry J. White Award, International Society for Electrostatic Precipitation (2013)
• Best Paper Award, “Computational Modeling of Electrohydrodynamically-Influenced Mercury Adsorption within ESPs”, 13th International Conference on Electrostatic Precipitation, 17-20 September 2013, Bangalore, India
• National Academies (U.S.)/Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Germany)
  • Invited topical review, German-American Frontiers in Engineering Symposium (2005)
• National Science Foundation
  • Faculty Early Development (CAREER) Award (2004-2009)
• MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
  • Sixteen Distinguished Young Alumni/ae (2000)
• National Academies, National Research Council
  • Postdoctoral Fellow (1998-1999)