Kimberly Prather is an American scientist, Distinguished Chair in Atmospheric Chemistry, and Distinguished Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego. She is the founding Director of the NSF Center for Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry of the Environment (CAICE) and co-director of this institute.

Prather’s research focuses on understanding the health and environmental impacts of ocean-derived pollutants and toxins in run-off and outfalls by studying ocean-to-atmosphere transfer, subsequent atmospheric transport, and the extent of human exposure. 

Her research specifically focuses on measurements of the concentration of aerosols, particles that are small enough to be inhaled deep into our lungs and impact human health. This represents a new area of research that can be helpful in many ways, such as alerting the public and predicting days with heavier airborne pollution and bacterial loads, especially during storm events that wash contaminants into the coastal ocean, where they can become airborne. She is working collaboratively with a team of interdisciplinary scientists, including the Health Sciences, to study the potential health effects of these ocean-derived natural microbes and anthropogenic pollutants under changing climate conditions.

In recognition of her contributions, she was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. She is also an elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

In 2024, she was awarded the National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences. Her list of awards also includes the 2023 36th Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest, 2021 Pittsburgh Analytical Chemistry Award, 2020 American Chemical Society Frank H. Field & Joe L. Franklin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Mass Spectrometry, 2015 Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award, and the 2010 American Chemical Society Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science & Technology.