Interdisciplinary research leadership
I lead and support research programs that connect mechanical engineering, aerosol science, exposure assessment, healthy buildings, public health, field operations, and data systems.
Colorado State University · Mechanical Engineering
Engineering research that turns difficult environmental questions into measurements, systems, and action.
I am an Associate Research Professor at Colorado State University and Associate Director of the Center for Energy Development and Health. My work connects air quality, aerosols, healthy buildings, sensors, field studies, household energy, student research, and the data infrastructure that makes ambitious programs possible.
Associate Research ProfessorPhD · PE · PMPCSU Mechanical Engineering
Research→Build→Translate
Studentsmentoring
Air qualitymeasurement
Systemsinfrastructure
Communitiespublic impact
From research questions and student training to instruments, field programs, databases, and decisions.
AppointmentAssociate Research Professor of Mechanical Engineering
LeadershipAssociate Director, Center for Energy Development and Health
CollegeWalter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering
Academic work at CSU
Research, mentoring, infrastructure, and public impact.
My academic role is broader than a single laboratory or topic. I help build interdisciplinary programs, train researchers, create the infrastructure needed for rigorous work, and translate results beyond the university.
Student mentoring and research training
My academic work includes mentoring undergraduate and graduate researchers, supporting summer research experiences, and helping students move from a technical question to a defensible experiment, dataset, and result.
Research infrastructure
I build laboratories, instruments, software, databases, and operational systems that allow teams to conduct ambitious research reliably and at scale.
Translation and public engagement
I work to make engineering research useful beyond a journal article—through public communication, community partnerships, technical guidance, training, and tools that others can use.
157current publicaitons
2009–2026publication record
391distinct collaborators
3CSU mechanical engineering degrees
Air qualityMeasurement, exposure, smoke & aerosols
Healthy buildingsVentilation, filtration & resilient indoor air
Data systemsPython, PostgreSQL, dashboards & automation
Field programsInstrumentation, teams, logistics & translation
Research practice
A bridge between physical systems and digital systems.
The most valuable work often happens between disciplines: making a measurement defensible, a deployment practical, a database durable, and a result understandable.
Air quality & aerosols
Measurement systems, aerosol behavior, exposure, smoke, ash, particulate matter, and the practical realities of collecting defensible field data.
Healthy buildings
Engineering approaches that connect ventilation, filtration, pressurization, occupancy, energy use, and human health.
Sensors & field systems
Low-cost sensors, custom instrumentation, remote deployments, QA/QC, fleet health, logistics, and systems designed for real users outside the lab.
Data infrastructure
Flask applications, PostgreSQL databases, APIs, geospatial workflows, dashboards, automated alerts, and research operations platforms.
Household energy
Clean cooking, energy access, laboratory methods, international standards, technical training, and the climate-health consequences of household energy choices.
Programs & teams
Moving complex projects from idea to execution: proposals, partnerships, budgets, laboratories, field teams, students, vendors, and stakeholder communication.
Current stories & highlights
Science in motion.
Featured research, recognition, public communication, and academic work can be updated directly from the private workspace.
March 2026
Shantanu Jathar and Christian L’Orange lead groundbreaking study on wildland–urban interface fires
Field and laboratory work focused on emissions and health-relevant hazards created when wildfire reaches the built environment.
Read the story ↗ January 2025CSU professors launch study to determine hazards of smoke and ash from L.A. fire
Rapid-response research examining hazards associated with smoke and ash from structure-impacted fires.
Read the story ↗ October 2022NSF funds $2 million CSU project aimed at keeping air inside homes healthy
Engineering, monitoring, and healthy-housing work aimed at protecting indoor environments from outdoor pollution while accounting for real buildings and occupants.
Read the story ↗ January 2022What is the best mask for COVID-19? A mechanical engineer explains the science
Mask testing, public guidance, and applied aerosol studies supporting healthcare, state response, and performing-arts organizations.
Read the story ↗
Built, not just studied
Research platforms and operational tools.
Good data is not only an analysis problem. It depends on the interfaces, validation rules, logistics, alerts, and databases that make an entire program work.
National monitoring studyLive
PM OPERA
A participant-facing and research-operations platform supporting a distributed national particulate-matter monitoring study—from recruitment and eligibility through sampler logistics, field data, filter inventory, and study communication.
Explore platform ↗Community air-quality platformLive
SLVAir
A public-facing environmental data platform created to make local air-quality measurements easier to explore, interpret, and use.
Explore platform ↗Smoke intelligence systemIn development
RADSENSE
A research dashboard combining distributed samplers, regulatory monitors, lower-cost sensors, trends, and smoke forecasts to support rapid-response field decisions.
Monitoring-network designResearch platform
GRASP
A geospatial decision-support workflow for selecting representative monitoring sites using population, vulnerability, exposure, coverage, and user-defined priorities.