Joshua Santarpia, Ph.D.

Dr. Joshua Santarpia is a Strategic Advisor for the National Strategic Research Institute at the University of Nebraska, the University Affiliated Research Center designated by the U.S. Department of War and sponsored by U.S. Strategic Command.

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Dr. Santarpia is a professor of microbiology and pathology and program director for the biodefense and health security graduate programs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member in biological systems engineering at University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) where he leads the Collaborative Biosecurity Laboratory, a partnership between the UNL Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and NSRI. 

Dr. Santarpia has held past positions at Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He was a distinguished staff member at Sandia National Laboratories.

Dr. Santarpia is trained in aerosol physics, atmospheric chemistry and microbiology. His peer-reviewed research focuses on the fate biological aerosols in the atmosphere, detection of biological aerosols and atmospheric chemistry of biological and anthropogenic particles. He has contributed to several books on the characterization and measurement of biological aerosols in the environment.

Dr. Santarpia’s work aims to understand and counter threats from biological organisms, especially those that pose a threat when dispersed in aerosols. He has worked extensively on RDT&E and OT&E efforts for biological sensors for the DOW and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Much of Dr. Santarpia's current work involves understanding the factors related to aerosol/airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Highlights of his accomplishments include:

• Developed building and facility sensing networks for biological detection in numerous facilities.
• Developed aerosol measurement tools, including those for unmanned aerial vehicles, for biodetection/collection activities.
• Worked extensively to understand optical and other signatures that can be used to detect and identify biological aerosol and studied how those signatures change over time.
• Developed novel methods to study bioaerosol hazard in medical environments, including the Containerized Biological Containment System (CBCS) for the Department of State, the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit and studies for private companies to determine potential aerosol hazards of medical devices in operating rooms.
• Supported several U.S. government operational units in missions to interdict biological hazards through training, directed research and development and assessment of training, tactics and procedures for biological interdiction and disablement.

Recent Publications

• The size and culturability of patient-generated SARS-CoV-2 aerosol. Joshua L. Santarpia, Vicki L. Herrera, Danielle N. Rivera, Shanna Ratnesar-Shumate, St. Patrick Reid, Daniel N. Ackerman, Paul W. Denton, Jacob W. S. Martens, Ying Fang, Nicholas Conoan, Michael V. Callahan, James V. Lawler, David M. Brett-Major & John J. Lowe 
• The infectious nature of patient-generated SARS-CoV-2 aerosol. Joshua L Santarpia, Vicki L Herrera, Danielle N Rivera, Shanna Ratnesar-Shumate, St. Patrick Reid, Paul W Denton, Jacob W.S. Martens, Ying Fang, Nicholas Conoan, Michael V Callahan, James V Lawler, David M Brett-Major, John J Lowe. 21 July 2020.
• Aerosol and surface contamination of SARS-CoV-2 observed in quarantine and isolation care. Joshua L. Santarpia, Danielle N. Rivera, Vicki L. Herrera, M. Jane Morwitzer, Hannah M. Creager, George W. Santarpia, Kevin K. Crown, David M. Brett-Major, Elizabeth R. Schnaubelt, M. Jana Broadhurst, James V. Lawler, St. Patrick Reid & John J. Lowe. 29 July 2020.

Recent Presentations

• Flying in the COVID-19 Era--Science-based Risk Assessments and Mitigation Strategies on the Ground and in the Air.
  4-5 February 2021.