Professor

College of Science and Technology
Department of Physics
Marteena 306, Gibbs 302, Lab- IRC 005/07 E:

Research Interests/Areas of specialization

Experimental and theoretical (computational) atomic, molecular and optical physics and chemical physics

Biography

Solomon Bililign, Ph.D., has been applying his training in Atomic and Molecular Physics and spectroscopy to conduct research in atmospheric physics and chemistry research at North Carolina A&T for the last decade with local, national, and international impact. He is the director of the Department of Energy-funded Climate Resiliency Center in the Piedmont Triad and co-organizes international workshops and conferences on air quality in Africa. Bililign has also served as a North Carolina State Climate Report panel member.

In addition to numerous awards and honors from the university, including Outstanding Senior Researcher, he also received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math and Engineering Mentoring. Bililign continues to guide undergraduate- and graduate-level students through N.C. A&T’s rigorous programs in the College of Science and Technology, while also hosting workshops for young students in the local community—introducing them to, or fostering their already-budding, interests in science.

Bililign is committed to providing opportunities for the next generation of scientists to build their research portfolio and network of expert colleagues across disciplines. For example, his research team consistently presents findings from projects that range from real-time chemical characterization to field measurements at various conferences, including the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

Bililign additionally serves as an adjunct professor at the Institute of Geophysics, Space Science and Astronomy (IGSSA) at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. Prior to that appointment, he served in the university’s Physics Department. Bililign is also a member of several professional organizations including the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP), The American Physical Society (APS), and the American Meteorological Society (AMS).

Bililign has developed multiple partnerships and collaborations with higher education institutions, national laboratories, community organizations and federal agencies during his tenure, including UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgia Tech, Columbia University, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NASA, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

 

57

Peer reviewed publications 1991-2020

27

Research Grants Funded as PI ($24,549,502 total)

196

Abstracts, proceedings 1991-2020

Ongoing Collaborations

  • NSF-funded project to understand the chemical composition of Brown Carbon emitted from biomass Burning
  • Use UNC Biomarker Mass Spectrometry Facility Ultra-performance liquid chromatography / diode array detection / high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometer Electrospray ionization, ESI(+)/(-), for BrC targeted analysis

 

  • Collaboration GEOS-Chem Health Impact Modeling due to different sources of emissions from open biomass burning, domestic waste combustion and residential solid fuel burning for cooking and heating in Africa.

  • African Combustion Aerosol Collaborative Intercomparison Analysis (ACACIA) pilot study. The project titled “Studies of optical and chemical properties of aged and fresh biomass burning absorbing aerosols for climate models” is funded by the Department of Energy.

Project: Community of practice for air quality management in East Africa

  • Co-develop and co-implement an air quality management certificate program in at least one local university in each country
  • Develop A locally owned air monitoring network for Mombasa, Kenya
    • LCS deployments in July 2021
    • TEOM (AfriqAir) in Jan 2023

International Collaborations

  • Bililign is a collaborator in a research project in Ethiopia, led by Professor Isaxon where we try to establish a connection between the high prevalence of maternal ill-health (such as preeclampsia), low birth weight, and air pollution. This project, which is a cooperation between aerosol science, medicine, epidemiology, and toxicology, aims to provide the Ethiopian government with data so that preventive actions can be taken to protect the population.

  • Collaboration in conducting aircraft-based field campaign for air quality study in East Africa

  • Bililign serves as an adjunct professor in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department, helping in developing courses in air quality and installing air quality sensors in Addis Ababa for continuous monitoring and training

  • NSF-funded international research experience in atmospheric sciences and geophysics