Amir Ghajari
PhD Candidate
Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, NC State University
Bio
Advisor and Program
Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, NC State University
About
I am a PhD candidate in Civil and Environmental Engineering at NC State University, advised by Dr. Fernando Garcia Menendez. I hold a BSc in Petroleum Engineering, which gave me a strong foundation in energy systems and sparked my interest in their environmental impacts, particularly air quality. This led me to pursue an MSc in environmental engineering with a focus on air quality modeling. This path showed me how computational tools can meaningfully address real-world environmental challenges. Through the SE CASC fellowship, I hope to engage closely with land managers, fire practitioners, and policymakers across the Southeast, strengthening the connection between scientific research and practical smoke management decisions. I am excited to contribute to the SE CASC community and collaborate across disciplines to support healthier, more resilient landscapes in the region.
Research Interests
My research uses the WRF-CMAQ atmospheric modeling framework with source apportionment methods to simulate PM2.5 concentrations and population exposure from a decade of prescribed burns across North Carolina (2013–2022). I apply machine learning feature selection to identify key meteorological drivers of smoke impacts, and I am developing reduced-complexity rapid-prediction models to support operational burn planning. The overarching goal is to translate high-complexity chemical transport models into accessible, practical smoke management tools for fire practitioners and land managers in the Southeast.