Eloise Marais appointed to UK Air Quality Experts Group (AQEG)

Eloise, a research lead of the UCL Atmospheric Chemistry and Composition group, will be helping make recommendations on air pollution at a time when poor air quality is ever making headlines.

“I’ll be serving on a panel of air quality experts from UK-based research and academic institutions and consultancies,” She told us.

“We’ll be advising the Department for Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on everything from sources of air pollution and the chemical and physical processes involved to its impacts and the range of technologies available for monitoring it.”

Dr Marais was invited to join the group to contribute her expertise in monitoring and assessing air pollution using satellite observations.

On the importance and hoped-for impact of the panel, she told us, “Members of the group cover a diverse range of expertise in air quality.

“Together, we’re able to translate the current knowledge of air pollution into relatable terms that policymakers can use to develop regulation to address it.

“Right now, we’re working on a report that summarises the types of technologies we have for measuring the tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere that are small enough to be breathed into our lungs, having an adverse effect on health.

“I’m optimistic my involvement will lead to greater use of knowledge about air pollution gained from observations made by instruments in space. These are increasingly used in academic research to fill knowledge gaps in the network of instruments on the ground.

"I’m excited to be part of this group, as it gives me the chance to apply my research and the teaching skills I’ve developed to enhance not only my own knowledge but to teach others, to stamp out misinformation about air pollution, and to ultimately benefit society."

• Visit Dr Marais' Staff profile
• You can find out more about AQEG on the UK Air Quality Experts Group website
• For more information about the courses Eloise teaches, visit our Study pages.