James McDevitt

James J. McDevitt received his Masters Degree in Industrial Hygiene and PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland and completed a 3 year post-doctoral fellowship in Environmental Health Sciences at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. He is diplomat of the American Board of Industrial Hygiene. He has over 25 years of experience practicing industrial hygiene as an active duty member of the United States Air Force and in private consulting. He is currently an adjunct professor at the University, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health and Visiting Professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Research Interests

• Developing analytical methodologies and test systems for evaluating and optimizing the use of Engineered Water Nanostructures (EWNS) for inactivating bacteria and viruses in air, on fomites and food surfaces
• Using test chambers to measure and optimize traditional and novel uses of Ultraviolet Irradiation (UVGI) for air disinfection
• Elucidating the mode of influenza virus transmission in human and animal infection models through the development and use of exhaled breath sampling devices

Selected Publications

Pyrgiotakis G, Vedantam P, Cirenza C, McDevitt J, Eleftheriadou M, Leonard SS, Demokritou P. Optimization of a nanotechnology based antimicrobial platform for food safety applications using Engineered Water Nanostructures (EWNS). Sci Rep.; 6:21073. doi: 10.1038/srep21073 (2016).

Pyrgiotakis G, Vasanthrakumar A, Gao Y, Eleftheriadou M, Toledo E, DeAraujo A, McDevitt J, Han T, Mainelis G, Mitchell R, Demokritou P. Inactivation of Foodborne Microorganisms Using Engineered Water Nanostructures (EWNS). Environmental Science and Technology 49(6):3737-45 (2015).

Zuckerman JB, Clock SA, Prato BS, McDevitt JJ, Zhou JJ, Leclair LW, Lucas FL, Saiman L. Air Contamination with bacteria in cystic fibrosis clinics: implications for prevention strategies. American Journal of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine. 191(5):598-601 (2015).

Rahman SF, Rudnick SN, Milonova SP, McDevitt JJ, Nardell EA. Influence of Bioaerosol Source Location and Ceiling Fan Direction on Eggcrate Upper-room Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation. British Journal of Applied Science and Technologies. (26):11-20 (2014).

Pyrgiotakis G, McDevitt JJ, Gao Y, Branco A, Eleftheriadou M, Lemos B, Nardell E, Demokritu P An Mycobacteria inactivation using Engineered Water Nanostructures (EWNS). Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine. 10, 1175-1183 (2014).

Rudnick SN, McDevitt JJ, Hunt GM, Stawnychy MT,Vincent RL, Brickner PW. Influence of ceiling fan’s speed and direction on efficacy of upper-room ultraviolet germicidal irradiation—Part I: experimental. Building and Environment. DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2014.03.025 (2014).

Pyrgiotakis G, McDevitt JJ, Demokritu P. A Chemical free, Nanotechnology-based Method for Airborne Bacterial Inactivation using Engineered Water Nanostructures. Environmental Science: Nano. 1:15-26 (2014).

Linnes JC, Rudnick SN, Hunt GM, McDevitt JJ, Nardell EA. Eggcrate UV: A Whole Ceiling Upper-Room Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation System for Air Disinfection in Occupied Rooms. Indoor Air, doi: 10.1111/ina.12063 (Epub ahead of print) (2013).

DK Milton, Fabian MP, Cowling BJ, Grantham ML, McDevitt JJ. Influenza Virus Aerosols in Human Exhaled Breath: Particle Size, Culturability, and Effect of Surgical Masks. PLOS Pathogens. Accepted January. 9(3): e1003205; doi10.1371/journal.ppat.1003205 (2013).