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I lead the ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº research group. We use complex models and observations from space-based and ground-based platforms to determine the influence of humans on air quality, atmospheric chemistry, ecosystems and human health. We also measure atmospheric composition over Central London, develop emissions inventories and derive new datasets from satellite observations.Ìý

I have served on multiple national and international expert panels, including the Ìýand the US Health Effects Institute . I am currently co-lead of the .Ìý

More about Professor Marais

I obtained my PhD from Harvard University in 2014 on an International Fulbright Science and Technology Scholarship supervised by Prof Daniel Jacob. My PhD was followed by postdoctoral research at Harvard, an independent research fellowship at theÌýÌýUniversity of Birmingham, and an Associate Professorship at the University of Leicester before joining ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº in 2020.

In August 2019, I was awarded a prestigious to address persistent uncertainties in the atmospheric composition of the global upper troposphere. This portion of the atmosphere, though remote (8-12 km aloft), has an important and poorly understood influence on global air quality and climate.Ìý

I am routinely invited to present my group’s research at high-profile international conferences, meetings, workshops, and academic institutes. This includes Harvard, MIT, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Peking, the Royal Society, and many more. Slides from talks by me and members of my group are on the of our research group website.

My work has been cited more than 5,000 times and I have an h-index of 33.Ìý

Teaching

I teach on the following courses:Ìý

• Understanding our Planet (GEOG0005)
• Thinking Geographically I (GEOG0151)
• Thinking Geographically II (GEOG0012)
• Independent Study (GEOG0042)
• Research Project and Dissertation (GEOG0105)

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Publications

To view Professor Marais's publications, please visit ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Profiles:

Research Interests

Current research projects pursued by my research group under my supervision include:

• Reactive nitrogen in the global upper troposphere, funded by the European Commission
• The environmental influence of the rapid growth in the space industry, funded by the European Commission
• Deleterious effects of the oil and gas industry in the US on human health, funded by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
• Sources and public health effects of fine particles (PM2.5) in the UK, funded by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
• Dry deposition of oxygenated volatile organic compounds, funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

Impact

International Leadership

I serve on the , the International , and the US Health Effects Institute .

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Popular Articles

• , The Conversation, January 2023
• , The Conversation, June 2022
• , The Conversation, April 2022
• The Conversation, November 2021
• , The Conversation, July 2021

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Media Coverage

I have been interviewed and my research group’s publications covered by numerous high-profile media agencies. These include, but are not limited to, The Guardian, The Big Issue, BBC Radio’s Farming Today, BBC News, BBC’s The Climate Question, The New York Times, Rolling Stone magazine, Forbes, New Scientist, Reuters, The Times, Popular Science, Vox, Good Morning America, The Hill, The Week, NPR, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Al Jazeera, Mashable, Sky News, Channel 4 News, CNBC, France 24, Le Monde, The Wall Street Journal, World Economic Forum, Time Magazine, Scientific American, Evening Standard, The Independent, CNBC, Boston Globe, Bloomberg., Huffington Post.

More details of media engagement by me and members of my group can be found on the page of our research group website.

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Consultancy

I have provided expert critique of flawed Environmental and Climate Change Impact Assessments submitted by fossil fuel production companies for environmental authorization to extract natural gas in South Africa.

Research Students

Current PhD research students

• Nana Wei, Characterising reactive nitrogen in the global upper troposphere with NASA aircraft observations
• Rebekah Horner, New observations of nitrogen oxides in the global atmosphere from satellite observations
• Eleanor Smith,ÌýImpact of the remote atmosphere on local air pollution, climate, and harmful UV radiation

Current Postdocs

• Connor Barker, Dry deposition of oxygenated VOCs and the impact of megaconstellations in the atmosphere.
• Karn Vohra, Health effects of exposure to air pollution from the oil and gas lifecycle in the USÌý

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Former PhD Students

• Alfred Bockarie, now a lecturer at Njala University, Sierra Leone
• Karn Vohra, now a postdoc in my group

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Former PhD Student and Postdoc

• Gongda Lu, now at Satellite Application Center for Ecology and Environment (SACEE), China

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Former Postdocs

• Robert Ryan, now a postdoc at University of Melbourne
• Jamie Kelly, now lead scientist at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air
• Kavitha Mottungan, now a scientist at the UK National Physical Laboratory
• Alok Pandey, now an Assistant Professor at University of Delhi

If you would like to explore opportunities to join our research group, please contact me at e.marais@ucl.ac.uk.

Research Grants, Prizes and Awards

Scholarships, fellowships and grants awarded to me since 2008 total £2.5 million.

• Most downloaded Wiley-published paper in 2021, awarded 2023
• ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Research Capital Equipment Fund (£130,000), PI, awarded 2022 and 2023
• ISI Web of Science Highly Cited and Hot Papers, awarded 2016 and 2021NERC Standard Grant (£160,000), co-I, 2021-2024.
• SEI (£79,000), PI, 2021-2023
• DEFRA (£200,000), PI, 2019-2022
• European Research Council Starting Grant (£1.4 million), PI, 2019-2025
• European Space Agency (ESA) (£40,000), co-I, 2019-2020
• ESA Copernicus Masters Competition FinalistÌýawarded 2018
• NERC Researcher in Residence (£50,000), 2018-2023
• Fulbright Scholar (£134,000), 2008-2011