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Professor Marais Inaugural Lecture: Environmental Risks of Unregulation

15 January 2025, 6:15 pm–7:15 pm

Eloise Marais Inaugural

Data-Informed Evidence to Propel Regulation Targeting the Space and Agricultural Sectors

This event is free.

Event Information

Open to

All

Availability

Yes

Cost

Free

Organiser

Professor Eloise Marais – UCL Department of Geography

Location

Sir Ambrose Fleming Lecture Theatre
45: Roberts Building
Torrington Place
London
WC1E 7JE
United Kingdom

Join us for the Inaugural Lecture of Professor Eloise Marais, a leading expert in atmospheric chemistry and air quality at UCL.

Professor Marais and her team employ advanced research tools and datasets to close crucial knowledge gaps, gathering vital evidence to shape environmental policies.

Her work focuses on unregulated and emerging industries like the space sector, fossil fuels, and agriculture.

In this lecture, Professor Marais will explore how agriculture and the fast-growing space sector are significant sources of pollution and the associated impacts on health, climate, and ecosystems.

Through innovative applications of remote sensing and numerical modelling, she will discuss the urgent need for regulatory actions and outline future research directions.

Opening remarks will be given by Professor Daniel Jacob from Harvard University, and closing appreciation will be shared by Eloise's fellow UCL Department of Geography academic, Professor Mat Disney.


Abstract

Across the northern hemisphere, agriculture is the largest unregulated industrial sector, and so is a dominant source of air pollution in the US, Europe, and China.

The space sector is one of the fastest-growing industries that uniquely injects large quantities of pollutants into all layers of the atmosphere from rocket launches and re-entry burn-up of rocket bodies and satellites.

In this talk, Professor Marais will demonstrate the versatile application of remote sensing and numerical modelling to determine the risks these unregulated sources pose to human health, climate and sensitive habitats to steer regulatory actions and set the agenda for future research.


Inaugural Lecture Series 2024/25

This lecture is part of the 2024/25 series for the UCL Department of Geography. The series provides an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our professors who are undertaking research and scholarship of international significance and offers an insight into the strength and vitality of the arts, humanities and social sciences at UCL.

All our lectures are free to attend and open to all. You don't have to be a UCL staff member or student to come along.

Lectures begin at 6:15pm and are typically one hour long. A drinks reception will follow, to which everyone is welcome to join.

We look forward to meeting you at one of our events.

Visit our news and events pages for other upcoming lectures.


Access Profile

We aim to make our events as inclusive as possible so if you have any accessibility requirements please let us know in advance so we can try to make reasonable adjustments and ensure the appropriate measures are taken.

  • The Sir Ambrose Fleming Lecture Theatre G06 is located on the ground floor of the Roberts Building.
  • There is step-free access to the lecture theatre.
  • There is staggered seating within the lecture theatre.
  • The steps to the staggered seating do not have handrails.
  • This lecture theatre does not have a hearing assistance system.

View the full access guide on the AccessAble website.


Photography

Please note photographs and recordings taken at this event may be included in future publications, on our website and on social media. If you do not wish to be included in any media, please opt out by contacting us at geog.web@ucl.ac.uk.


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About the Speakers

Professor Eloise Marais

Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality at UCL Department of Geography

Eloise Marais is a Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality and leads the UCL Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality research group. Professor Marais uses and contributes to advancing world-leading research tools and datasets in the pursuit of addressing knowledge and data gaps to garner vital evidence needed to direct environmental policies. Of particular interest are unregulated emergent and established industries such as the space sector, fossil fuels, and agriculture. 

More about Professor Eloise Marais

Professor Daniel Jacob

Vasco McCoy Family Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at Harvard University

Professor Daniel Jacob will be giving the opening remarks. He is the Vasco McCoy Family Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Engineering at Harvard University. His research focuses on air pollution, atmospheric transport, and regional and global atmospheric chemistry. He also explores biosphere-atmosphere interactions and the impacts of climate change. Jacob’s work contributes to advancing knowledge in environmental science and policy.

More about Professor Daniel Jacob

Professor Mat Disney

Professor of Remote Sensing at UCL Department of Geography

Professor Mat Disney will be giving the closing appreciation. He is a Professor of Remote Sensing and a member of the Environmental Monitoring and Modelling Group. He holds a BSc in Physics and an MSc in Remote Sensing from UCL. His research uses terrestrial laser scanning and satellite Earth observation to study tree and forest interactions with climate. He has led international field campaigns and is dedicated to public outreach, collaborating with communities to promote environmental awareness.

More about Professor Mat Disney