Pamela Chu is a Research Chemist in the Materials Measurement Laboratory (MML) at NIST. She is leads MML’s program in Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration (CCUS). The program is developing the critical metrologies and standards needed to quantify carbon removal and accelerate industrial decarbonization. The current focus is on 1) benchmark materials for direct air capture, 2) accelerating the adoption of low carbon cements, 3) next generation seawater reference materials, and 4) standards and conformity assessment considerations for carbon removal. As leader of the Chemical Process and Nuclear Measurements Group (2012-2021), Pam oversaw a research portfolio focused on developing and applying state-of-the art chemical and physical measurements to provide reference data, standards, and models for complex systems and time-dependent phenomena. Pam’s NIST laboratory research focused on the development and application of analytical spectroscopic techniques with an emphasis on quality-assured measurements to help underpin the Nation’s traceability hierarchy for quantitative gas measurements for environmental, industrial, and homeland security applications. Additional research experience includes laser-based quantum state detection to study photo-induced reaction mechanisms on semiconductor and metal surfaces, crossed molecular beams coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry to investigate primary combustion processes, and laser photoacoustic methods for characterizing adsorbate changes at liquid-metal interfaces during electrochemical cycling. Pam holds a A.B. in Chemistry and Physics from Bryn Mawr College. She completed her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry at the University of California Berkeley.
