Kristen Okorn
Research Scientist, Center Coordinator for NASA's Disasters Response Coordination System
Branch: Atmospheric Science Branch (SGG)
Email: kristen.e.okorn@nasa.gov
Phone: (650) 960-5137
Professional Biography
Kristen is a Research Scientist in the Trace Gas GRoup (TGGR) and a center coordinator for NASA’s Disasters Response Coordination System. Her research includes deploying low-cost air quality sensors (INSTEP) and managing their data. She has also contributed to several flight-based air quality and meteorology measurement campaigns, including SABRE in 2025, AsiaAQ in 2024, AGES+ in 2023, and ACCLIP in 2022. Kristen first joined Ames as part of the NASA Postdoctoral Program in 2022.
Education
Ph.D. Environmental Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, 2021
M.E. Mechanical Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, 2018
B.E. Mechanical Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, 2018
Select Publications
Okorn, K. and Iraci, L. T.: An overview of outdoor low-cost gas-phase air quality sensor deployments: current efforts, trends, and limitations, Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, 17, 6425–645, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-6425-2024, 2024.
Okorn, K., Jimenez, A., Collier-Oxandale, A., Johnston, J., Hannigan M.: Characterizing methane and total non-methane hydrocarbon levels in Los Angeles communities with oil and gas facilities using air quality monitors, Science of The Total Environment, 777, 146194, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146194, 2021.
Okorn, K. and Hannigan, M.: Improving Air Pollutant Metal Oxide Sensor Quantification Practices through: An Exploration of Sensor Signal Normalization, Multi-Sensor and Universal Calibration Model Generation, and Physical Factors Such as Co-Location Duration and Sensor Age, Atmosphere, 12(5):645. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12050645, 2021.
Johnston, J., Okorn, K., Ornelas Van Horne, Y., and Jimenez, A.: Changes in neighborhood air quality after idling an urban oil production site. Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, 23. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1EM00048A, 2021.
Okorn, K., Tran, T., Polman, J., Knight, D., and Hannigan, M., Changing learning opportunities and outcomes with varying levels of remote and in-person engineering education outreach. IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Lincoln, NE, USA, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE49875.2021.9637246, 2021.
Press Releases & Websites
About INSTEP https://www.nasa.gov/ames/earthscience/programs/about-instep
INSTEP https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/earthscience/programs/instep
Additional Links
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kokorn/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/okorn.bsky.social
GitHub: https://github.com/KristenOkorn