Browsing by Author "Matthews, Emily"
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Publication A new generation of Early Career Researchers in atmospheric chemistry: Navigating a globalized scientific landscape(2025) Desservettaz, Maximilien; Ramacher, Martin; Thirstrup, Simone; Barbosa, Cybelli; Diez, Sebastian; Bryant, Hannah; Hamilton, Tamryn; Schneider, Stephanie; Vohra, Karn; Li, Yuanzhe; Mishra, Sachin; Abdul, Nor; Uz Zaman, Shahid; Brown, Flossie; John, Shyno; Tiwari, Pravash; Apondo, William; Matthews, EmilyAs the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) project marks its 35th anniversary,this paper examines the multifaceted experiences of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) navigating the increasingly globalized landscape of atmospheric chemistry. Drawing upon collective insights from the ECR Scientific Steering Committee and quantitative data from a survey of 180 ECRs across 40 countries, we investigate their primary motivations, challenges, and opportunities. Key obstacles identified include systemic difficulties in securing funding and resources, achieving sustainable work–life balance, and uncertainty around long-term career prospects, often compounded by precarious employment conditions. While globalization offers significant avenues for international collaboration, data sharing, and knowledge exchange, it concurrently presents challenges such as heightened competition, visa restrictions, regional disparities, and the risk of inequitable research practices. Despite these hurdles, ECRs are driven by a strong interest in their field, a desire to make a tangible impact on societal concerns, and the appeal of a supportive community. This perspective paper offers actionable insights focused on 4 key pillars: (i) strengthening mentoring programs; (ii) reforming funding mechanisms for improved accessibility and equity; (iii) providing targeted skill development workshops; and (iv) promoting equitable collaborations and advancing the decolonization of research practices. To foster a supportive, inclusive, and sustainable environment for the next generation of atmospheric scientists, this work underscores the urgent need for systemic change and sustained collaborative action by networks such as IGAC, as well as by senior researchers, academic institutions, and funding agencies.Publication Study of the Suitability of a Personal Exposure Monitor to Assess Air Quality(2024) Aljofi, Halah E.; Bannan, Thomas J.; Flynn, Michael; Evans, James; Topping, David; Matthews, Emily; Diez, Sebastian; Edwards, Pete; Coe, Hugh; Brison, Daniel R.; Tongeren, Martie van; Johnstone, Edward D.; Povey, AndrewLow-cost personal exposure monitors (PEMs) to measure personal exposure to air pollution are potentially promising tools for health research. However, their adoption requires robust validation. This study evaluated the performance of twenty-one Plume Lab Flow2s (PLFs) by comparing its air pollutant measurements, particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5), 10 μm or less (PM10), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), against several high-quality air pollution monitors under field conditions (at indoor, outdoor, and roadside locations). Correlation and regression analysis were used to evaluate measurements obtained by different PLFs against reference instrumentation. For all measured pollutants, the overall correlation coefficient between the PLFs and the reference instruments was often weak (r < 0.4). Moderate correlation was observed for one PLF unit at the indoor location and two units at the roadside location when measuring PM2.5, but not for PM10 and NO2 concentration. During periods of particularly higher pollution, 11 PLF tools showed stronger regression results (R2 values > 0.5) with one-hour and 9 PLF units with one-minute time interval. Results show that the PLF cannot be used robustly to determine high and low exposure to poor air. Therefore, the use of PLFs in research studies should be approached with caution if data quality is important to the research outputs.