Organised by the IAQM Early Careers Network Subcommittee, and open exclusively to ECN members, this event will feature talks on range of different air quality monitoring projects. Attendees will hear from both established and early career speakers including:

Tom Parkes, London Borough of Camden

• Air Quality Monitoring Network within London Borough of Camden. As our keynote speaker, Tom will cover the challenge of air pollution in Camden; how monitoring has been used to respond to the challenge and what it has revealed; the limitations of monitoring and relevant learnings; and his interpretation of the role of air quality monitoring in delivering improvements in health beyond the constraints of the current regulatory framework in the UK.

Pablo Espina Martin, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

• Application of low-cost ammonia sensors: case studies at Whim Bog and Northern England farm. This talk presents findings from two experiments evaluating the capabilities of ammonia (NH₃) sensors. The first experiment compared an established automated NH₃ analyser with four commercially available electrochemical sensors and one experimental chemiresistive sensor. The second experiment tested the best-performing sensor from the intercomparison at a medium-sized poultry farm in Northern England during early December 2024. The results underscore the potential of miniaturised sensors to support the democratisation of air pollution monitoring. 

Callum Danby, Bureau Veritas

• Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) expansion for PM2.5. Callum’s talk will be centred on the construction side of the AURN, from establishing new sites, to relocating and upgrading existing sites. The talk will explore the behind the scenes work that goes into maintaining the network to ensure sites are able to stay operational. Callum will also provide an insight into how a new site is established on the network, from desktop scoping through to site installation.

Fang Lin, AtkinsRealis

• VOC Monitoring at London Remediation Sites: Survey Planning Principles and Practical Insights. This talk will focus on planning principles for VOC monitoring and good practice in undertaking surveys. It will also highlight a novel risk assessment approach used to successfully close out a planning application.

Sarah Horrocks, IAQM

• Update from IAQM Vice Chair.

Connor Albutt-Wilkinson, Rail Safety & Standards Board. 

• Rail Safety & Standards Board Air Quality Monitoring Network. Connor will provide an overview of the RSSB’s Air Quality Monitoring Network, which has been operating across the GB rail network since 2022. His presentation will outline the types of monitoring being carried out, discuss the aims of the project, and highlight some of the key challenges involved in measuring air quality within rail environments.

The event will be followed by an optional social at a nearby pub, where we can continue networking. Don't miss this chance to get together with the network and build new connections with fellow air quality professionals before the summer holidays! Book your place today via the link below.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with communities@the-ies.org.

Our speakers

Tom Parkes, London Borough of Camden

Tom is the Air Quality Programme Manager at the London Borough of Camden, and will be our keynote speaker on the day. Further details TBC!

Pablo Espina Martin, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Pablo is an environmental researcher at UKCEH Edinburgh, specializing in air quality measurements, with a particular focus on ammonia (NH₃) across a range of environments—from urban areas to protected ecosystems. He is one of the network managers for the UK Euthrophying & Acidifying (UKEAP) Ammonia Monitoring Network (NAMN) and the Acid Gases and Aerosols Network (AGAnet). In addition, he contributes to the quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) process for these networks as a secondary stage data reviewer. Recently, he has focused his research on exploring the potential of low-cost NH₃ sensors in agricultural settings, investigating their performance and optimization to assess their feasibility as reliable tools for air quality monitoring.

Callum Danby, Bureau Veritas

Callum is an Air Quality Consultant at Bureau Veritas, with 3.5 years’ experience of working in the sector. As part of his role at Bureau Veritas, Callum works on the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN). Primarily, Callum is responsible for overseeing the works involved with the upgrade of any air quality monitoring station within the network. Callum has completed multiple upgrades of sites during his time at Bureau Veritas, with each upgrade providing their own unique challenge.

Fang Lin, AtkinsRéalis

Fang Lin is an Air Quality Consultant at AtkinsRéalis based in London with over nine years’ professional experience within air quality, providing air quality monitoring and consultancy services to both private and public-sector organisations in the UK. She has an MSc in Environmental Management. She is also a full member of both the Institute of Air Quality Management and the Institution of Environmental Sciences.

Sarah Horrocks, IAQM

After graduating from the University of Bristol with a degree in Chemistry, Sarah spent a year at NPL in the air quality standards team. After that she completed a Masters in Environmental Technology at Imperial College and subsequently found a job with AtkinsRéalis. She is now the Practice Manager for Air Quality and has been with the company for nearly 25 years. As well as looking after and winning work for their 16 specialists, she is responsible for managing and delivering technical input to a wide range of markets: transportation, energy, water and land developments, in the UK and overseas. She is passionate about delivering high quality environmental work, and equally so about creating a working environment that is truly inclusive.

Connor Albutt-Wilkinson, Rail Safety & Standards Board

Connor is an Air Quality and Emissions Specialist at the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), where he works on a range of air quality and emissions projects, including the network-wide Air Quality Monitoring Network (AQMN). He has over four years of experience as an air quality consultant, working on monitoring and modelling projects across various sectors. Connor holds an MSc in Air Pollution Management and Control from the University of Birmingham and has an academic background in Geology.

Banner: © Rodrigo via Adobe Stock