BALASUBRAMANIAN RAJASEKHAR

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR & DEPUTY HEAD (UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES) Division of Environmental Science and Engineering Faculty of Engineering National University of Singapore Office : E2-02-14 Tel : (65)6516-5135 Fax : (65)6774 4202 Emails : eserbala@nus.edu.sg

Postal Address:
Environmental Science & Engineering
Faculty of Engineering
National University of Singapore
1 Engineering Drive 2, E1A-02-19
Singapore 117576

Biography

Dr. Rajasekhar Bala is an Associate Professor and the Deputy Head (Undergraduate Studies) in the Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, NUS. He has broad research experience and interests ranging across: Air Quality, Climate Change, Aerosol Science and Technology, Environmental and Health Risk Assessment, and Water Quality.

Dr. Bala has been actively involved in the development of the Environmental Engineering curriculum at NUS, at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He has taught a variety of courses in Environmental Science and Engineering. He has also been actively involved in promoting Environmental Education and Environmental Awareness, by giving public lectures and seminars, and contributing articles to magazines and newspapers.

Administrative Leadership

• Deputy Head, (Undergraduate Studies), Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore - NUS (2005-present).
• Associate Director of Environmental Science and Engineering Program, National University of Singapore - NUS (2004-2005).
• Program Manager, M.Sc. (Environmental Engineering), Environmental Science and Engineering Program, National University of Singapore - NUS (2004-2005).

Career History

• Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Associate Professor, National University of Singapore (1996 -present)
• Research Scientist, Wadsworth Center, NY State Department of Health, USA (1994 -1996)
• Research Associate, Brookhaven National Laboratory, USA (1992-1994)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Miami, USA (1991-1992)

Honour and Awards

Teaching Awards

• Engineering Educator Award (2006-2007)
• Teaching Honor Roll at both faculty and University levels (2007)
• NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award (2005-2006)
• NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award (2004-2005)
• NUS Annual Teaching Excellence Award (2003-2004)
• Engineering Educator Award (2005-2006)
• Engineering Educator Award (2004-2005)
• Engineering Educator Award (2003-2004)
• Teaching Commendation Award (2002-2003)
• Teaching Commendation Award (2001-2002)
• Teaching Commendation Award (2000-2001)

Research & Student-Associated Awards

• Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award, Final Year Student (2006-2007)
• Research Innovation Award, Final Year Project Student (2006-2007)
• President's Graduate Fellowship (2005-2006)
• Best Thesis Award, Final Year Student (2004-2005)
• Best Paper Award, The Health Sciences Authority-National University of Singapore (HSA-NUS) Symposium on Environmental Health (2005).
• Prestigious Publication Award, The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (2001).
• Research Innovation Award, Final Year Project Student (1999-2000)
• Research Innovation Award, Final Year Project Student (1998-1999)
• Best Paper Award, Tenth Regional IUAPPA Conference, Istanbul, Turkey (1997).

Professional Activities

• Technical Assessor, Singapore Accreditation Council for accreditation of environmental testing in analytical laboratories in Singapore.
• Chair, Clear Air Group, Environmental Engineering Society of Singapore (EESS).
• Member, International Scientific Steering Committee, IGBP-DEBITS (Deposition of Biogeochemical Important Trace Species) 2003-Present.
• Member, International Program Committee, "East > Asia/Northern Pacific Regional Study (APARE)", endorsed by > the IGBP (International Geosphere Biosphere Program) 2001-Present.
• Coordinator of a multi-national and multi-investigator research program ("Composition of Asian Deposition", funded by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), 2001- Present.

Research Interests

• Aerosol Science & Technology
• Ambient Air Quality
• Atmospheric Kinetics & Photochemistry
• Climate Change
• Design of Practical Instruments
• Development of Low-Cost Adsorbents
• Environmental Chemistry
• Environmental & Health Risk Assessment
• Fate & Transfer of Pollutants in a Multi-Media Environment
• Indoor Air Quality
• Regional Smoke Haze
• Water Quality

Selected Publications

1. Vasconcellos, PC, R Balasubramanian, RE Bruns, O Sanchez Ccoyllo, MF Andrade and M Flues, "Water Soluble Ions and Trace Metals in Airborne Particles Over Urban Areas of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil: Influences of Local Sources and Long Range Transport", Water, Air and Soil Pollution, 185 (2007): 1-10.
2. Balasubramanian, R and SS Lee, "Characteristics of Indoor Aerosols in Residential Homes In Urban Locations: A Case Study in Singapore". Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 57 (2007): 98- 990.
3. Kathikeyan, S, V P Sundararajan, R Balasubramanian, B M S Zuraimi and K WTham, "Determination of Ozone in Outdoor and Indoor Environments Using Nitrite Impregnated Passive Samplers Followed by Ion Chromatography", Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 57 (2007): 974-980.
4. Sundararajan, V P, UM Joshi, S Karthikeyan, and R Balasubramanian, "Biosorption of Pb(II) and Cu(II) from Stormwater by Brown Seaweed Sargassum sp.: Batch and Column Studies", Water Science and Technology, 56(1), (2007): 277-285.
5. See, S W, R Balasubramanian, E Rinawati, S Karthikeyan, and DG Streets, "Characterization and Source Apportionment of PM2.5 in Sumatra, Indonesia During a Recent Peat Fire Episode", Environmental Science & Technology, 41(10) (2007): 3488-3494.
6. See, SW, R Wang and R Balasubramanian, "Contrasting Reactive Oxygen Species and Transition Metal Concentrations in Combustion Aerosols", Environmental Research, 103(3) (2007): 317-324.
7. Karthikeyan, S, S W See, and R Balasubramanian, "Simultaneous Determination of Inorganic Anions and Selected Organic Acids in Airborne Particulate Matter by Ion Chromatography", Analytical Letters, 40(4), (2007): 793-804.
8. See, S W and R Balasubramanian, "Physical Characteristics of Nanoparticles Emitted From Incense Smoke", Journal of Science and Technology for Advanced Materials, 8(1 2), (2007): 25-32.
9. Karthikeyan, S, R Balasubramanian, and CSP Iyer, "Evaluation of the use of marine algae Ulva fasciata and Sargassum sp. for the biosorption of Cu (II) from aqueous solutions", Bioresource Technology, 98(2) (2007): 452-455.
10. 1See, S W, R Balasubramanian, T S Yeng and S Karthikeyan, "Assessing Exposure to Diesel Exhaust Particles: A Case Study". Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A Current Issues, 29(11) (2006): 1909-1925.
11. 1Karthikeyan, S, R Balasubramanian, and I Kostetski, "Particulate Air Pollution From Bushfires: Human Exposure and Possible Health Effects". Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part A Current Issues, 29(11), (2006): 1895-1908.
12. 1Karthikeyan, S, R Balasubramanian, and S W See, "Optimization and Validation of a Low Temperature Microwave Assisted Extraction Method For Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Airborne Particulate Matter", Talanta, 69(1), (2006): 79-86.
13. 1Karthikeyan, S, R Balasubramanian, and U Joshi, "Microwave assisted sample preparation for determining water soluble fraction of trace elements in urban airborne particulate matter: Evaluation of bioavailability", Analytica Chimica Acta, 576(1), (2006): 23-30.
14. 1See, S W and R Balasubramanian, "Physical Characteristics of Ultrafine Particles Emitted from Different Gas Cooking Methods", Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 6(1), (2006): 82-92.
15. 1See, S W, R Balasubramanian, and W Wang, "A study of the physical, chemical and optical properties of ambient aerosol particles in Southeast Asia during hazy and non hazy days", Journal of Geophysical Research, 111(D10) (2006): Art. No. D10S08-0.
16. 1See, S W and R Balasubramanian, "Risk Assessment of Exposure to Indoor Aerosols Associated with Chinese Cooking", Environmental Research, 102(2) (2006): 197-204.
17. 1See, S W, S Karthikeyan, and R Balasubramanian, "Health risk assessment of occupational exposure to particulate phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons associated with Chinese, Malay, and Indian cooking". Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 8 (2006): 369-376.
18. 1Karthikeyan, S and R Balasubramanian, "Interlaboratory study to improve the quality of trace element determinations in rainwater". Analytica Chimica Acta, 576(1) (2006): 23-30.
19. 1Karthikeyan, S and R Balasubramanian, "Determination of water soluble inorganic and organic species in atmospheric fine particulate matter". Microchemical Journal, 82 (2006): 49-55.

Teaching Areas

• Advanced Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Air Pollution Control
• Air Pollution Control Technology
• Atmospheric Chemistry
• Environmental Chemistry
• Environmental Technology
• Pollution Minimization and Prevention
• Final Year Design Project
• Final Year Research Project

Qualifications

• Ph.D. (Atmospheric Chem.), University of Miami, USA, 1991
• M.Tech. (Chem. Instmn.), IIT Delhi, India 1985
• M.Sc. (Chem.) IIT Madras, India, 1983
• B.Sc. (Chem), St. Xavier's College, India, 1981