John C. Little

About

Professor John C. Little's research interests focus on process dynamics in environmental systems and societal challenges involving systems of Anthropocene systems. His work addresses the complex interactions and dynamics within environmental processes and how these relate to broader societal issues in the context of the Anthropocene, the current geological epoch characterized by significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems. Through his research, Professor Little contributes to understanding and modeling the intricate systems that define environmental and societal interactions during this era.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Management science
• Ecology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Environmental science
• Political Science
• Physics
• Data science
• Atmospheric sciences

Selected publications

• Assessing Human Exposure to SVOCs in Materials, Products, and Articles: A Modular Mechanistic Framework

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2020 · 98 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  A critical review of the current state of knowledge of chemical emissions from indoor sources, partitioning among indoor compartments, and the ensuing indoor exposure leads to a proposal for a modular mechanistic framework for predicting human exposure to semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs). Mechanistically consistent source emission categories include solid, soft, frequent contact, applied, sprayed, and high temperature sources. Environmental compartments are the gas phase, airborne particle…

  DOI

• Socio-technical scales in socio-environmental modeling: Managing a system-of-systems modeling approach

  Environmental Modelling & Software · 2020 · 83 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  DOI

• The Magnitude and Drivers of Methane Ebullition and Diffusion Vary on a Longitudinal Gradient in a Small Freshwater Reservoir

  Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences · 2020 · 56 citations

  Key Points CH 4 ebullition rates decreased by 98% and CH 4 diffusion decreased by 32% on a longitudinal gradient from reservoir inflow to dam Ebullition was driven by physical variables upstream and phytoplankton downstream; diffusion was most related to phytoplankton Despite large variation in CH 4 emissions longitudinally, time series models well captured the dynamics of emissions from a small reservoir

  DOI

• Knowledge sources, narratives, and living in social-ecological systems

  Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change · 2024-07-16 · 7 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Humans exist as part of social-ecological systems (SES) in which biological, physical, chemical, economic, political and other social processes are tightly interwoven. Global change within these systems presents an increasingly untenable situation for long-term human security. Further, knowledge that humans possess about ourselves and SES represents a complex amalgamation of individual and collective factors. Because of various evolutionary pressures, people often reject this complex re…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Quantifying EDC Emissions from Consumer Products: A Novel Rapid Method and Its Application for Systematic Evaluation of Health Impacts

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2024-12-04 · 5 citations

  article

  Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are widely used in consumer products and have been associated with adverse public health outcomes and significant economic costs. We developed a rapid chamber method for measuring EDC emissions from consumer products, significantly reducing the time to reach steady state from weeks or months to minutes or hours. Using this method, we quantified EDC emissions from a wide range of products, determined the emission–control parameters, and established their rela…

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Hypolimnetic Oxygenation: Coupling Bubble-Plume and Reservoir Models

  NSF · $215k · 2002–2007

• Developing Barrier Layers to Minimize Volatile Emissions from Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)

  NSF · $375k · 2006–2010

• Collaborative Research: Phthalate Plasticizers: Temperature Dependence of Material/Air Equilibria and Consequences for Emissions, Exposure and Risk

  NSF · $272k · 2011–2015

Frequent coauthors

• Clara M. A. Eichler

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  26 shared

• Steven S. Cox

  24 shared

• Ying Xu

  23 shared

• Elaine A. Cohen Hubal

  National Center for Environmental Assessment (EPA)

  22 shared

• Benito J. Mariñas

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  20 shared

• Lee D. Bryant

  University of Bath

  18 shared

• William W. Nazaroff

  14 shared

• Yaoxing Wu

  Virginia Tech

  14 shared

Labs

• Anthropocene SystemsPI

  Process dynamics in environmental systems and societal challenges involving systems of Anthropocene systems.

Education

• PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering

  University of California Berkeley

  1990

• MS, Civil and Environmental Engineering

  University of California Berkeley

  1988

• BS, Chemical Engineering

  University of Cape Town

  1985

• MS, Physical Chemistry

  University of Cape Town

  1984

Awards & honors

• North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) Technical Mer…
• Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Profess…
• Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Profess…
• International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISI…
• National Science Foundation CAREER Award (1996)

Similar researchers at Virginia Tech

• Marc A. Edwardsh-73
• Stanley Granth-53
• Gabriel Isaacman-VanWertzh-47