Skip to main content

About me

I am 38 years old tenure track assistant professor from the cold and dark North. My passions are free radical chemistry and music, and I'm as yet to decide which one I like the most. 

Responsibilities

My group's reserach involves experimental and theoretical characterization of fast free radical reactions that are responsible for chemical transformation in any gas media. The focus is on atmospheric reactions leading to molecular growth and subsequent formation of ambient aerosols, and closely connected air-pollutant removal. The related low-temperature combustion of hydrocarbons that has promises for more efficient, and thus cleaner, energy production, is an important motivation for the research. In particular, the molecular level description of these autocatalytic oxidation phenomena of volatile organic compounds, autoxidation and autoignition, in both biogenic and anthropogenic source compounds, is the main passion for my group.

Fields of expertise

Atmospheric and combustion relevant fast oxidation reactions, mainly their mechanisms and rates. In-situ aerosol precursor formation with subsequent clustering and atmopheric new particle formation. Chemistry of elementary reactions and flow tube kinetics. The main research methods span experimental and theoretical methodologies, the most important being flow tubes with multi-ion chemical ionization detection and quantum chemical computations.

Top achievements

First molecular level description of autoxidation producing highly oxygenated organic compounds (HOM).

Main positions of trust

Reviewer for several international scientific journals. 

Mission statement

Sustainable future with renewable energy production and clean air for everyone to breath. 

Research topics

Atmospheric oxidation and ambient in-situ aerosol precursor production with focus on autoxidation. Developing chemical ionization mass spectrometry as a chemically selective detection technique.

Research unit

Physics

Research fields

Aerosol physics

Funding

ERC Consolidator grant, Academy Research Fellow and Center of Excellence

Research career

Associate professor (tenure track)

Selected publications

M. P. Rissanen, T. Kurtén, M. Sipilä, J. Thornton, J. Kangasluoma, N. Sarnela, H. Junninen, S. Jørgensen, S. Schallhart, M. Kajos, R. Taipale, M. Springer, T. Mentel, T. Ruuskanen, T. Petäjä, D. R. Worsnop, H. Kjaergaard, and M. Ehn, The formation of highly oxidized multifunctional products in the ozonolysis of cyclohexene, J. Am. Chem. Soc. (2014) 136, 15596–15606. 

M. P. Rissanen, NO2 Suppression of Autoxidation–Inhibition of Gas-Phase Highly Oxidized Dimer Product Formation, ACS Earth and Space Chem. (2018) 2, 1211-1219. 

S. Iyer, M. P. Rissanen, and T. Kurtén, Reaction between Peroxy and Alkoxy Radicals Can Form Stable Adducts, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. (2019) 10, 2051-2057. 

F. Bianchi, T. Kurtén, M. Riva, C. Mohr, M. P. Rissanen, P. Roldin, T. Berndt, J. D. Crounse, P. O. Wennberg, T. F. Mentel, J. Wildt, H. Junninen, T. Jokinen, M. Kulmala, D. R. Worsnop, J. A. Thornton, N. M. Donahue, H. G. Kjaergaard, and M. Ehn, Highly Oxygenated Organic Molecules (HOM) from Gas-Phase Autoxidation Involving Peroxy Radicals: A Key Contributor to Atmospheric Aerosol, Chem. Rev. (2019) 119, 3472–3509. 

M. P. Rissanen, J. Mikkilä, S. Iyer, J. Hakala, Multi-scheme chemical ionization inlet (MION) for fast switching of reagent ion chemistry in atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CIMS) applications, Atmos. Meas. Tech. (2019) 12, 6635-6646 

S. Iyer, M. P. Rissanen, R. Valiev, S. Barua, J. E. Krechmer, J. Thornton, M. Ehn, and T. Kurtén, Molecular mechanism for rapid autoxidation in α-pinene ozonolysis, Nature comm. (2021) 12, 1-6

Z. Wang, M. Ehn, M. P. Rissanen, O. Garmash, L. Quéléver, L. Xing, M. Monge-Palacios, P. Rantala, N. M. Donahue, T. Berndt, and S. M. Sarathy, Efficient alkane oxidation under combustion engine and atmospheric conditions, Commun. Chem. (2021) 4, 1-8