Jeffrey L. Collett, Jr. professor and department head in Colorado State University’s Department of Atmospheric Science, has been named the next Technical Editor in Chief of the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, one of the oldest peer-reviewed journals covering the fields of air quality and waste management. His appointment begins April 1.
Collett has extensive prior academic publishing and editing experience, having authored or co-authored over 220 peer-reviewed articles in over 40 scientific journals, including in JA&WMA. He has also served as associate editor on the editorial board for PeerJ (2017-present), Atmosphere (2019-2020), and Environmental Monitoring and Contaminants Research (2020-present) and served as associate/guest editor for special issues of Atmospheric Research and Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.
“The journal has made important progress in recent years, and I am excited to collaborate with A&WMA’s staff and many volunteers that support and oversee the publication, as well as A&WMA’s partners at Taylor and Francis to chart a path for raising the journal’s profile in support of its critical mission,” Collett said.
Collett, who has served as atmospheric science department head at CSU for 11 years, began his academic career studying chemical engineering at MIT followed by graduate work at Caltech in environmental engineering science. He received his Ph.D. in 1989.
After a postdoc at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in atmospheric physics, he returned to the U.S. to begin his academic career. From 1991-1994, he was an assistant professor at the University of Illinois in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. In 1994, he relocated to the Department of Atmospheric Science at CSU.
Atmospheric chemistry, air quality
As department head, Collett has overseen the efforts of 21 faculty, 90 graduate students, and 75 postdocs and research staff. His research over the past 30 years has focused on atmospheric chemistry and air quality, and he has conducted more than 50 air quality field campaigns worldwide.
In recent years, his interest has increased in research topics at the intersection of science and policy, including current work on air toxics emissions and community exposure surrounding oil and gas development and impacts of agricultural emissions of ammonia on excess nitrogen deposition.
His research has been supported by several federal agencies, state and local government, and industry, and his work has been widely cited, with nearly 14,000 citations and an h-index of 67 in Google Scholar (Web of Science h-index = 55).
During his career, Dr. Collett has provided extensive service to his professional community. Key positions include serving as chair of the Atmospheric Chemistry Committee of the American Meteorological Society; several years as chair/co-chair of the AMS Atmospheric Chemistry Conference; the Board of Directors of the American Association for Aerosol Research; Scientific Chair of the International Conference on Fog, Fog Collection and Dew and on the Board of the International Fog and Dew Association; two terms on the USDA Agricultural Air Quality Task Force; and current service on the Colorado Regional Air Quality Council.
Collett is a member of A&WMA and has contributed as an author and presenter at the 2021 Atmospheric Optics: Aerosols, Visibility, and the Radiative Balance Conference, as well as several past annual and specialty conferences for the association.
“With more than a decade of management experience leading a top-ranked academic department, Dr. Collett has the skills and experience necessary to elevate the profile of JA&WMA in the academic community, and we look forward to his leadership to help steer the journal forward into a new era,” said Stephanie Glyptis, the association’s executive director.
About the association
The Air & Waste Management Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional organization that enhances knowledge and expertise by providing a neutral forum for information exchange, professional development, networking opportunities, public education, and outreach to more than 5,000 environmental professionals in 65 countries. A&WMA promotes global environmental responsibility and increases the effectiveness of organizations to make critical decisions that benefit society.