Employee Spotlight: Benjamin Sykes

Meet ORAU employee Benjamin Sykes! Benjamin is an ORAU contractor working under the National Student Services Contract (NSSC) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As a Combustion Emissions Laboratory Specialist in Research Triangle Park, Benjamin supports EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD), the Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling (CEMM), and the Air Measurement and Characterization Division (AMCD). Benjamin assists the CEMM team in developing, evaluating, and applying emissions measurement methodology to characterize gas and particle phase air pollution from combustion sources, like wood heaters.

Benjamin is currently working with the CEMM team on testing and processing emission data from residential wood stoves. Most of this work involves calculating emission factors for the National Emissions Inventory from previous wood stove laboratory testing. For this project, he is working on developing Python code for calculating emission factors, emission rates, and efficiencies for this data following EPA methodology. Along with this, the team is attempting to develop an in-situ woodstove sampler and testing protocol to better understand gaps in real-world emissions data. As part of this planning, he is working to develop simplified emission calculations to minimize the necessary equipment in the field and disrupt normal operating procedures as little as possible.

When asked what his favorite part of working at EPA has been so far, Benjamin said, “I have really enjoyed the team dynamics and the work environment. I have the chance to work with experts in the field, but I still feel like my opinions and ideas are respected by my team. I enjoy being able to come to work and feel like a valuable, important member of the team. Every day I get to feel like my work will have a direct impact on human health and the environment.”

Background

Benjamin earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics with an emphasis in Astrophysics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2023. As part of his undergraduate degree, he completed research with the UNC Applied Physical Sciences Department on modeling crowd dynamics in Python. This research helped him discover how he could apply his physics knowledge and scientific programming experience to improving public safety and health, motivating him to look for jobs where he could do just that.

Outside of work, Benjamin enjoys spending his time outdoors or creating art. He enjoys hiking, camping, and gardening, and has made it a life goal to visit all the national parks. In this last year, he visited 4 more national parks (Great Basin, Zion, Bryce Canyon, and New River Gorge). In his free time, he also enjoys sketching, watercolor, and producing music. Benjamin likes to try new things and has recently taken up whittling.

Fun Facts:  Benjamin loves the art of making tea and has gathered a decent collection of native herbs for this purpose.