Sai Deepak Pinakana

About

I am a Ph.D. student at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. I am being advised by Dr. Daniel M Westervelt, the Principal Investigator of Westervelt Aerosol Group based at Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory. My research focuses on air quality, atmospheric aerosols, satellite remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and environmental exposure disparities. I am especially interested in ground-based air sensors and satellite Aerosol optical depth products to understand the sources and trends of particulate matter.

My interests are in integrating ground-based observations from air sensor networks, regulatory monitoring data, satellite, and reanalysis products to characterize particulate pollution and its sources. I am also interested in understanding the accuracy of air sensors in measuring particulate and gaseous pollutants. I am currently involved in multiple projects: Air quality monitoring in Queens; Size-resolved Performance Evaluation and Correction Factor Development for 10 Consumer-Grade Air Sensors in New York; Monitoring Ultrafine, Fine, and Coarse Particles Along with Gaseous Pollutants Using Modulair Sensors at a major highway in New York City. Apart from research, I also engage regularly in community outreach, educating citizens about air quality and pollution.  

Fields of Interest

Air pollution, Air Quality, Aerosols, Low-cost sensors, Air sensors, Aerosol Optical Depth, Citizen Science, Satellite Remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems

Education

M.S., The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley., Texas. 2025B.Tech., Sharda University, India. 2022
Pinakana, S. D., Shah, K. B., Temby, O., Wladyka, D., Gonzalez, J. L., Rahman, M. S., Sepielak, K., & Raysoni, A. U. (2026). Influence of transboundary wildfire smoke on fine particulate matter concentrations at South Texas border schools. NPJ Clean Air, 2(1), 49. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44407-026-00096-zPinakana, S. D., Sarnat, J. A., & Raysoni, A. U. (2026). Long-term analysis of PM2.5 elemental composition and source contributions in coastal urban environments of Corpus Christi and Houston in Texas. Climate Physics and Atmospheric Science: Scientific Insights and Societal Challenges, 3-4, 100018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpas.2026.100018 Pinakana, S. D., Shah, K. B., Jaffe, D., Gonzalez, J., Temby, O., Ibarra-Mejia, G., & Raysoni, A. U. (2025). Using Low-Cost Sensors for Source Attribution and Health Assessment: An Air Quality Study in Brownsville, Texas. Atmospheric Environment: X, 100405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aeaoa.2025.100405Shah, K. B., Pinakana, S. D., Hobosyan, M., Montes, A., & Raysoni, A. U. (2025). Dataset on Indoor and Outdoor PM2.5 Concentrations at Two Residences Using Low-Cost Sensors in the Rio Grande Valley Region of South Texas. Data in Brief, 60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2025.111492Raysoni, A. U., Pinakana, S. D., Luna, A., Mendez, E., & Ibarra-Mejia, G. (2025). Characterization of BTEX species at Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Continuous Ambient Monitoring Station (CAMS) sites in Houston, Texas, USA during 2018. Sustainable Chemistry for the Environment, 100227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scenv.2025.100227Pinakana, S.D., Gonzalez, J. R., & Raysoni, A. U. (2024). Personal Exposure to Black Carbon: Impact of Time-Activity Patterns and Environmental Factors on Exposure Levels. Environmental Challenges, 17, 101046. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2024.101046Shah, K.B., Kim, D., Pinakana, S.D., Hobosyan, M., Montes, A., Raysoni, A.U. (2024). Evaluating Indoor Air Quality in Residential Environments: A Study of PM2.5 and CO2 Dynamics Using Low-Cost Sensors. Environments. 11, 237. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11110237Pinakana, S. D., Raysoni, A. U., Sayeed, A., Gonzalez, J. L., Temby, O., Wladyka, D., Katarzyna Sepielak, & Gupta, P. (2024). Review of Agricultural Biomass Burning and its Impact on Air Quality in the Continental United States of America. Environmental Advances, 16, 100546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envadv.2024.100546Pinakana, S. D., Carlos Garcia Patlan, Mendez, E., & Raysoni, A. U. (2024). A Pilot Study on Particulate Matter Concentrations from Cooking and its Effects on Indoor Air Pollution in a Mexican American Household in Mission, South Texas, USA. Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, 9, 100757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cscee.2024.100757Pinakana, S. D., Mendez, E., Ibrahim, I., Majumder, M. S., & Raysoni, A. U. (2023). Air Pollution in South Texas: A Short Communication of Health Risks and Implications. Air, 1(2), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.3390/air1020008Pinakana, S. D., Robles, E., Mendez, E., & Raysoni, A. U. (2023). Assessment of Air Pollution Levels during Sugarcane Stubble Burning Event in La Feria, South Texas, USA. Pollutants, 3(2), 197–219. https://doi.org/10.3390/pollutants3020015Raysoni, A. U., Pinakana, S. D., Mendez, E., Wladyka, D., Katarzyna Sepielak, & Temby, O. (2023). A Review of Literature on the Usage of Low-Cost Sensors to Measure Particulate Matter. Earth, 4(1), 168–186. https://doi.org/10.3390/earth4010009Saini, G., & Pinakana, S. D. (2021). Wastewater-based epidemiology for novel Coronavirus detection in wastewater. Global Journal of Environmental Science and Management, 7(4), 643–658. https://doi.org/10.22034/GJESM.2021.04.10