Our alumna Olga Garmash: My research field fulfills one's perpetual curiosity about how nature works

One of the most critical fields of study is environmental science. Human activity is affecting the world and it is imperative to know as much about the environment and its processes as we can. Atmospheric science is one part of this field.

– Atmospheric science answers questions about the air we breathe. Where does pollution come from; what processes form or remove pollutants? It also deals with natural phenomena. How do emissions from the Earth’s surface affect clouds and the climate? explains Olga Garmash, atmospheric scientist and assistant professor at the University of Copenhagen.

Atmospheric science is more than predicting the weather

Garmash grew up in St Petersburg, Russia, where she became interested in meteorology. Having visited Finland many times with her family, she considered studying meteorology there.                                                                                                                    

– I did a tour of potential schools with my mom before choosing where to study. At that time there were not many English options in my field for a kid that hasn’t yet finished high school. It was possible to get admitted to TAMK conditionally before getting a high school diploma and it really made all the difference for me. TAMK seemed like a great option because I really liked Tampere and TAMK had many English language options for bachelor degrees, making it more attractive overall, she says.

Garmash began her Environmental Engineering studies at TAMK in 2009. A few classes and guest lectures on air pollution and aerosol science broadened her interest. She also had the opportunity to do an exchange at the University Centre in Svalbard to study atmospheric pollution in the Arctic.

– I learned that atmospheric science is so much more than predicting the weather. The air contains small particles and molecules and using different measurement devices one almost performs a forensic study trying to figure out their sources. Atmospheric science is both chemistry and physics and often biology and even other disciplines. This is what made me very excited about this research field that keeps fulfilling my perpetual curiosity about how nature works.

Researching organic compounds in the lab and in the field

After she earned her bachelor’s degree at TAMK, Garmash went to the University of Helsinki where she received her master’s and PhD in Atmospheric Science. She came back to Tampere to complete postdoctoral work at Tampere University at the Aerosol Physics Laboratory before going to the University of Washington. She joined the University of Copenhagen in 2024 where she does research and teaching.

– In my group, we conduct research in the lab and also do field studies applying mass spectrometry to figure out the chemical fingerprints of different processes. I am interested in identifying the sources and chemical reactions that form particles. I focus on organic compounds. For example, the smell of flowers or a Christmas tree are all organic molecules, says Garmash.

She is now establishing her research group at the university. It has one PhD student and a few undergrads. They hope to add some more people to the group as she was successful in acquiring research funding.

Finland is considered home

Garmash has many fond memories of her time at TAMK. At first she didn’t know much Finnish, but the international student community helped her to integrate and learn the language. She was active in student life at TAMK and met her future husband in her class.

– I consider Finland my home. I believe that by pursuing an academic career I integrated into Finnish society and it allowed me to really feel like I belong.