Martin Williams (environmental scientist) explained

Martin Lloyd Williams
Birth Date:1947 11, df=y
Birth Place:Mountain Ash, Wales
Alma Mater:University College, Cardiff
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Known For:Air pollution
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Partner:Rosemary Hudleston
Children:2

Martin Lloyd Williams (22 November 1947–21 September 2020)[1] was a Welsh chemist and environmental scientist who made important contributions to the science of air pollution and its incorporation into public policy in the United Kingdom.[2] Williams was one of the first scientists to recognize the harmful health effects of ground-level ozone, in papers published in Nature in the mid-1970s,[3] [4] and one of the first to study vehicle emissions in the real world (rather than under artificial laboratory conditions).[2] [5] He also established the first systematic programme to produce inventories of UK national air pollution emissions.[6]

Early life

Born in Mountain Ash, Williams studied chemistry at University College, Cardiff, took a Ph.D. at Bristol University, and held research fellowships at the University of British Columbia and the University of Bradford.

Government career

In 1975, he became a government scientist at the Department of Industry's environmental research centre, Warren Spring Laboratory in Stevenage, and served as Head of the Air Pollution Division there, leading a team of 50 scientists, from 1982 to 1993.[2] [7] He moved to the UK government's Department of Environment in 1993.[7] In 2005, he became head of the air quality and science programme at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, where he focused on translating air pollution science into effective government policy, and developed three national air quality strategies for the UK.[2] [8]

Academic career

In 2010, Williams returned to academia as a professor and Head of Science Policy and Epidemiology in the Environmental Research Group at King's College London,[2] where his research interests included the air quality in London,[9] [10] the measureable health benefits of improved air quality,[11] [12] and the connections between climate change and air pollution.[13] [14] [15] He was also a visiting professor at the University of Urbino, Italy.[8]

Other activities

Apart from his government and academic appointments, he was chair of the scientific arm of the UN Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), co-chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) working group on air quality guidelines, an air quality adviser to the US Environmental Protection Agency, and a member of the UK government's two scientific, air pollution advisory committees (AQEG and COMEAP).[5] [16] [7] In 2019, he became one of three Clean Air Champions (alongside Sir Stephen Holgate and Jenny Baverstock) appointed by the UK government's Clean Air programme, tasked with using scientific research to inform practical solutions to the problem of air pollution.[6] [17] Shortly before his death, the Institute of Air Quality Management invited him to be its inaugural Honorary Fellow.[18]

Williams died in 2020 of the heart condition hemopericardium.[2]

Selected publications

External links

Notes and References

  1. Professor Martin Llloyd Williams . Who's Who . 1 December 2009 . 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U249992 . A & C Black/Bloomsbury.
  2. News: Harvey . Fiona . Fiona Harvey . 27 October 2020 . Martin Williams Obituary . 24 January 2022 . The Guardian.
  3. Stewart . H . Sullivan . E . Williams . M . Ozone levels in central London . Nature . 14 October 1976 . 263 . 5578 . 582–584 . 10.1038/263582a0 . 1976Natur.263..582S . 4161030 . 24 January 2022.
  4. 5. Apling . A . Sullivan . E . Williams . M . Ball . D . Bernard . R . Derwent . R . Eggleton . A . Hampton . L . Waller . R . Ozone concentrations in South-East England during the summer of 1976 . Nature . 1 October 1977 . 269 . 5629 . 569–573 . 10.1038/269569a0 . 1977Natur.269..569A . 4207280 .
  5. Web site: Kelly . Frank . Obituary: Professor Martin Williams . Imperial College, London . 25 January 2022.
  6. Web site: Professor Martin Williams . Clean Air Programme . Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) . 25 January 2022.
  7. Book: Air pollution research in Britain c.1955–c.2000 : The Transcript of a Witness Seminar held by the History of Modern Biomedicine Research Group . Queen Mary University of London . London . 98 . 24 November 2023.
  8. Web site: Welcome to the Green Week Conference 2013 - Dr Martin Williams . European Commission: Environment . 4 April 2022.
  9. Web site: Levels of London pollution both increase and decrease during lockdown, study finds . London Air Quality Network . 4 April 2022 . 5 May 2020.
  10. News: The lethal effects of London fog . BBC News . 22 December 2015. 4 April 2022.
  11. Evangelopoulos . Dimitris . Perez-Velasco . Roman . Walton . Heather . Gumy . Sophie . Williams . Martin . 5. Kelly . Frank J . Künzli . Nino . International Journal of Public Health. The role of burden of disease assessment in tracking progress towards achieving WHO global air quality guidelines . 2020 . 65 . 8 . 1455–1465 . 10.1007/s00038-020-01479-z . 33057794 . 7588380 .
  12. 5. Williams . Martin . Lott . Melissa . Kitwiroon . Nutthida . Dajnak . David . Walton . Heather . Holland . Mike . Pye . Steve . Fecht . Daniela . Toledano . Mireille . Beevers . Sean . The Lancet Countdown on health benefits from the UK Climate Change Act: a modelling study for Great Britain . The Lancet Planetary Health . 1 May 2018 . 2 . 5 . e202–e213 . 10.1016/S2542-5196(18)30067-6 . 29709284. 14035459 . free . 10044/1/59149 . free .
  13. 5. Shindekk . D . Kuylenstierna . J . Vignati . E . van Dingenen . R . Annen . M . Klimont . Z . Anenberg . S . Muller . N . Janssens-Maenhout . G . Raes . F . Schwartz . J . Faluvegi . G . Pozzoli . L . Kupiainen . K . Höglund-Isaksson . L . Emberson . L . Streets . D . Ramanathan . V . Hicks . K . Oanh . K . Milly . G . Williams . M . Demkine . V . Fowler . D . Simultaneously Mitigating Near-Term Climate Change and Improving Human Health and Food Security . Science . 13 January 2012 . 335 . 6065 . 183–189 . 10.1126/science.1210026 . 22246768 . 2012Sci...335..183S . 14113328 . 25 January 2022.
  14. 5. Anenberg . Susan. Joel . Schwartz. Drew . Shindell. Markus . Amann. Greg . Faluvegi. Zbigniew . Klimont. Greet . Janssens-Maenhout. Luca . Pozzoli. Rita . Van Dingenen. Elisabetta . Vignati. Lisa . Emberson. Nicholas . Muller. Jason . West. Martin . Williams. Volodymyr . Demkine. Kevin . Hicks. Johan . Kuylenstierna. Frank . Raes. Veerabhadran . Ramanathan. Global Air Quality and Health Co-benefits of Mitigating Near-Term Climate Change through Methane and Black Carbon Emission Controls . Science . 1 June 2012 . 13 . 1 . 831–839. 10.1289/ehp.1104301 . 22418651. 3385429.
  15. Book: 5. Williams . M . Beevers . S. Kitwirron . N . Dajnak . D. Walton . H. Lott . M. Pye. S. Fecht. D. Toledano. M. Holland. M. Public Health Air Pollution Pathway Options to Meet the 2020 Climate Change Target - A Modelling Study. . 2018 . King's College . London.
  16. Web site: Lewis . Alastair . Monks . Paul . Tribute to Professor Martin Williams . UK Air . Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs . 25 January 2022 . 2 October 2020.
  17. Web site: Professor Martin Williams appointed as Clean Air Champion to spearhead major programme tackling air pollution . King's College, London . 25 January 2022 . 20 June 2019.
  18. Web site: Nelson . N . Holman . C . Obituary: Professor Martin Williams . Institute of Air Quality Management . 25 January 2022.

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