Associate Professor
Branka Miljevic
Faculty of Science,
School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Biography
Dr Branka Miljevic an Associate Professor and Academic Lead for HDR in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Branka completed her BSc Hon (Chemistry) in 2006 at University of Zagreb (Croatia) and holds PhD degree from Queensland University of Technology (2010) where she worked as a postdoctoral researcher until starting lecturing position in 2013.
Broad area of research: Branka an atmospheric chemist who uses real time mass spectrometry to investigate atmospheric aerosols – tiny particles suspended in the air. These aerosols impact human health and climate so understanding their sources, composition and evolution in the atmosphere is critical for the development of strategies and policies that improve air quality, public health, and accuracy of climate models.
Research expertise: 1. During her PhD Branka developed an entirely novel molecular assay for detection and quantification of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) present on atmospheric particles. This assay is based on a profluorescent nitroxide molecular probe and after finishing PhD Branka continued to work on investigating interaction of this type of compound with atmospheric particles and gases. 2. Within the International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (ILAQH), QUT Branka established a new real-time mass spectrometry capability for chemical characterization of aerosol particles and gases firstly through the use of an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer, AMS (2011) and later (2016) through the addition of a Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer (CIMS). She was responsible for the first field deployment of the AMS in Australia (Sydney Particle Study measurement campaign, 2011) as well as for the first Australian field deployment of the CIMS (Reef to Rainforest measurement campaign, 2016).
Prospective students: Prospective Honours, MSc and PhD students interested in atmospheric aerosols are encouraged to contact Branka, especially women, and members of other groups traditionally underrepresented in science.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor
Faculty of Science,
School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
Keywords
particulate matter (PM), marine aerosols, biomass burning, secondary organic aerosol, aerosol mass spectrometry, chemical ionisation mass spectrometry, volatile organic compounds, health effects of aerosols, PM oxidative potential
Research field
Atmospheric sciences, Analytical chemistry, Environmental management
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philsophy (Queensland University of Technology)
- Grad Cert in Higher Ed (Queensland University of Technology)
Professional memberships and associations
Member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (MRACI)
Teaching
CVB101 - General Chemistry
CZB190 - Chemistry for Health Sciences (Unit Coordinator)
CZB191 - Introductory Chemistry for Educators
SEB104 - Grand Challenges in Science (Climate Change challenge leader)
CVB202 - Analytical Chemistry
Publications
- Wu, C., Trounce, H., Dunne, E., Griffith, D., Chambers, S., Williams, A., Humphries, R., Cravigan, L., Miljevic, B., Zhang, C., Wang, H., Wang, B. & Ristovski, Z. (2023). Atmospheric concentrations and sources of black carbon over tropical Australian waters. Science of the Total Environment, 856. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/237310
- Fiddes, S., Woodhouse, M., Utembe, S., Schofield, R., Alexander, S., Alroe, J., Chambers, S., Chen, Z., Cravigan, L., Dunne, E., Humphries, R., Johnson, G., Keywood, M., Lane, T., Miljevic, B., Omori, Y., Protat, A., Ristovski, Z., Selleck, P., Swan, H., Tanimoto, H., Ward, J. & Williams, A. (2022). The contribution of coral-reef-derived dimethyl sulfide to aerosol burden over the Great Barrier Reef: A modelling study. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 22(4), 2419–2445. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/232670
- Alroe, J., Cravigan, L., Miljevic, B., Johnson, G., Selleck, P., Humphries, R., Keywood, M., Chambers, S., Williams, A. & Ristovski, Z. (2020). Marine productivity and synoptic meteorology drive summer-time variability in Southern Ocean aerosols. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 20(13), 8047–8062. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/202180
- Chen, J., Li, C., Ristovski, Z., Milic, A., Gu, Y., Islam, M., Wang, S., Hao, J., Zhang, H., He, C., Guo, H., Fu, H., Miljevic, B., Morawska, L., Thai, P., Lam, Y., Pereira, G., Ding, A., Huang, X. & Dumka, U. (2017). A review of biomass burning: Emissions and impacts on air quality, health and climate in China. Science of the Total Environment, 579, 1000–1034. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/103918
- Mallet, M., Desservettaz, M., Miljevic, B., Milic, A., Ristovski, Z., Alroe, J., Cravigan, L., Jayaratne, R., Paton-Walsh, C., Griffith, D. & other, a. (2017). Biomass burning emissions in north Australia during the early dry season: an overview of the 2014 SAFIRED campaign. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 17(22), 13681–13697. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/114609
- Mallet, M., Cravigan, L., Milic, A., Alroe, J., Ristovski, Z., Ward, J., Keywood, M., Williams, L., Selleck, P. & Miljevic, B. (2017). Composition, size and cloud condensation nuclei activity of biomass burning aerosol from northern Australian savannah fires. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 17(5), 3605–3617. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/114091
- He, C., Miljevic, B., Crilley, L., Surawski, N., Bartsch, J., Salimi, F., Uhde, E., Schnelle-Kreis, J., Orasche, J., Ristovski, Z., Ayoko, G., Zimmermann, R. & Morawska, L. (2016). Characterisation of the impact of open biomass burning on urban air quality in Brisbane, Australia. Environment International, 91, 230–242. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/95275
- Miljevic, B., Hedayat, F., Stevanovic, S., Fairfull-Smith, K., Bottle, S. & Ristovski, Z. (2014). To sonicate or not to sonicate PM filters: Reactive oxygen species generation upon ultrasonic irradiation. Aerosol Science and Technology, 48(12), 1276–1284. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/85956
- Miljevic, B., Surawski, N., Bostrom, T. & Ristovski, Z. (2012). Restructuring of carbonaceous particles upon exposure to organic and water vapours. Journal of Aerosol Science, 47, 48–57. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/53525
- Miljevic, B., Heringa, M., Keller, A., Meyer, N., Good, J., Lauber, A., DeCarlo, P., Fairfull-Smith, K., Nussbaumer, T., Burtscher, H., Prevot, A., Baltensperger, U., Bottle, S. & Ristovski, Z. (2010). Oxidative potential of logwood and pellet burning particles assessed by a novel profluorescent nitroxide probe. Environmental Science & Technology, 44(17), 6601–6607. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/38682
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Branka, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Awards
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2018
- Details
- QUT's Vice Chancellor's performance award
- Type
- Recipient of a Nationally Competitive Research Fellowship
- Reference year
- 2017
- Details
- Endeavour Research Fellowship - a nationally competitive fellowship awarded to spend 4 months at IRCELYON, France
- Type
- Academic Honours, Prestigious Awards or Prizes
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- QUT Vice Chancellor's performance award
- Type
- Recipient of a Nationally Competitive Research Fellowship
- Reference year
- 2015
- Details
- France - Australia Science Innovation Collaboration (FASIC) Program Early Career Fellowships
Selected research projects
- Title
- Southern Ocean Aerosols: Sources, Sinks and Impact on Cloud Properties
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP240100389
- Start year
- 2024
- Keywords
- Title
- Aerosol Glassy States Promote Global Warming, Airborne Toxins and Pathogens
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP210103284
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- Airborne Ultrafine Particles in Australian Cities
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP180100516
- Start year
- 2019
- Keywords
- Title
- Secondary Aerosol Formation from Engine Exhaust Emissions
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP180102632
- Start year
- 2018
- Keywords
- Title
- GBR as a significant source of climatically relevant aerosol particles
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- DP150101649
- Start year
- 2015
- Keywords
- Aerosols; Corals; Atmospheric Particle Formation
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Current supervisions
- The Application of Nitroxides for Measurement of Airborne Reactive Oxygen Species
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Steven Bottle, Professor Zoran Ristovski - Coupling of Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) with high efficiency aerosol collector (HEAC) for the analysis of Organic Aerosol in the environment
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Zoran Ristovski - Characterization of the viscosity of glassy state SOA under different aging conditions
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Zoran Ristovski, Dr Robert Groth - Sources and transport processes of Cloud Condensation Nuclei in the waters around Australia
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Zoran Ristovski, Dr Graham Johnson - Study on the characteristics and sources of PM-bound ROS and its application in new AQHI
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Zoran Ristovski, Dr Ingrid Wang - Properties and sources of aerosol particles in the Southern Ocean and coastal Antarctica
MPhil, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Zoran Ristovski, Dr Joel Alroe
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Light-absorbing carbonaceous aerosols and their sources in Australian remote and urban environments with insight into secondary aerosol formation (2023)
- Secondary organic aerosol formation in a smog chamber using ambient urban air as a matrix component (2022)
- Emission Sources, Cloud-Relevant Properties and Variability of Aerosol Over the Southern and Pacific Oceans (2021)
- Investigation of volatile organic compounds from diesel engine emissions using H3O+ chemical ionisation mass spectrometry (H3O+-CIMS) (2020)
- The Effect of Biodiesel Soot Structure on Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Performance (2020)
- The Role of Marine Biota on the Composition and Concentration of Potential Cloud Condensation Nuclei (2019)
- Chemical characterization and aging of ambient aerosols in Australian urban and remote areas with a focus on biomass burning organic aerosols (2017)
- Water Uptake and Composition of Natural Australian Cloud Condensation Nuclei (2017)
- Investigation of the molecular probes for PM oxidative capacity measurements (2016)
- Investigation of the Chemical and Physical Basis of Oxidative Stress Generated by Particulate Matter Using the Profluorescent Probe Technique (2013)
Supervision topics
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.