UKRI and the Met Office have appointed Dr Gary Fuller as the new Clean Air Champion for the Strategic Priorities Fund Clean Air Programme.
Dr Fuller (Imperial College London website) will join the existing champions, Professor Sir Stephen Holgate and Dr Jenny Baverstock. They will bring together outstanding researchers across atmospheric, medical and social sciences to develop practical solutions for air quality issues.
Wide-ranging expertise
His expertise is wide-ranging: from air quality measurement and source apportionment – for example leading the development of the London Air Quality Network – to promoting the best use of the air pollution measurements in health studies.
As a member of the Medical Research Council Centre for Environment and Health, he has collaborated with modellers, toxicologists, clinicians and epidemiologists.
He provides independent scientific advice as a member of the Department
for Environment Food & Rural Affairs’ (Defra) Air Quality Expert Group and has worked closely with national and city authorities across Europe.
In addition, he is a passionate communicator and believer in evidence-based policymaking.
He will help support the champions’ efforts to ensure that the interdisciplinary communities working on improving air quality are connected to the public, wider policy and business environment.
Delivering societal benefit
In a joint statement, the Clean Air Champions said:
We are truly delighted to have Gary Fuller join us as a UKRI Clean Air Champion.
He brings a unique mix of experience and skills flowing from his important work as an atmospheric scientist interested in health, his running of the London Air Quality Network, his outstanding ability as a highly effective communicator and above all, his enthusiasm for wanting research to translate into societal benefit.
Dr Fuller steps into the role following the sad news of the death of Professor Martin Williams, who is greatly missed by the Clean Air Programme and the wider research and policy community.
For more information about all of the champions’ background and expertise, please visit the ‘Meet the Champions’ page on the Clean Air website.
Further information
The Clean Air programme is a £42.5 million research and innovation investment supported through the UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund.
The aim is to bring together the UK’s world-class air quality research base and support high quality multi and inter-disciplinary research and innovation.
This will develop practical solutions for today’s air quality issues: equipping the UK to proactively tackle future air quality challenges related to changing emissions, exposure patterns and impacts on vulnerable groups of people.
Top image: Credit: Imperial College London