Martin Williams (environmental scientist)

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Martin Lloyd Williams
Born(1947-11-22)22 November 1947
Mountain Ash, Wales
Died21 September 2020(2020-09-21) (aged 72)
Alma materUniversity College, Cardiff
Known forAir pollution
PartnerRosemary Hudleston
Children2
Scientific career
Institutions

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  • Irwin, J.G.; Williams, M.L. (1988). "Acid rain: Chemistry and transport". Environmental Pollution. 50 (1–2): 29–59. doi:10.1016/0269-7491(88)90184-4. ISSN 0269-7491. PMID 15092652.
  • Müezzinoğlu, Aysen; Williams, Martin, eds. (1992). Industrial Air Pollution Assessment and Control: Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Industrial Air Pollution: Assessment and Control held at Akbük/Didim-Aydin, Turkey from April 29 to Mai 10, 1991. Berlin: Springer. ISBN 3540530983. OCLC 25164712. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  • Williams, Martin (2009). "The Policy Response to Improving Air Quality". In Hester, Ronald; Harrison, Roy (eds.). Air Quality in Urban Environments. Great Britain: Royal Society of Chemistry. pp. 129–145. ISBN 9781847559074. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  • Williams, Martin (April 2013). "Air Quality: Should we have achieved more?". environmental SCIENTIST. Institution of Environmental Sciences. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  • Williams, Martin (2014). "Atmospheric Dispersal of Pollutants and the Modelling of Air Pollution". In Harrison, Roy (ed.). Pollution: Causes, Effects and Control. Great Britain: Royal Society of Chemistry. pp. 225–243. ISBN 9781894736480.
  • Walton, Heather; Dajnak, David; Beevers, Sean; Williams, Martin; Watkiss, Paul; Hunt, Alistair (2015). Understanding the health impacts of air pollution in London. London: Transport for London/Greater London Authority/King's College, London. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  • Fowler, David; Pyle, John; Sutton, Mark; Williams, Martin (2020). "Global Air Quality, past present and future: an introduction". Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A. 378 (2183). Bibcode:2020RSPTA.37890323F. doi:10.1098/rsta.2019.0323. PMC 7536034. PMID 32981444.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Professor Martin Llloyd Williams". Who's Who. A & C Black/Bloomsbury. 1 December 2009. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U249992.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harvey, Fiona (27 October 2020). "Martin Williams Obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  3. ^ Stewart, H; Sullivan, E; Williams, M (14 October 1976). "Ozone levels in central London". Nature. 263 (5578): 582–584. Bibcode:1976Natur.263..582S. doi:10.1038/263582a0. S2CID 4161030. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  4. ^ Apling, A; Sullivan, E; Williams, M; Ball, D; Bernard, R; et al. (1 October 1977). "Ozone concentrations in South-East England during the summer of 1976". Nature. 269 (5629): 569–573. Bibcode:1977Natur.269..569A. doi:10.1038/269569a0. S2CID 4207280.
  5. ^ a b Kelly, Frank. "Obituary: Professor Martin Williams". Imperial College, London. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Professor Martin Williams". Clean Air Programme. Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Air pollution research in Britain c.1955–c.2000 : The Transcript of a Witness Seminar held by the History of Modern Biomedicine Research Group. London: Queen Mary University of London. p. 98. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Welcome to the Green Week Conference 2013 - Dr Martin Williams". European Commission: Environment. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Levels of London pollution both increase and decrease during lockdown, study finds". London Air Quality Network. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  10. ^ "The lethal effects of London fog". BBC News. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  11. ^ Evangelopoulos, Dimitris; Perez-Velasco, Roman; Walton, Heather; Gumy, Sophie; Williams, Martin; et al. (2020). "The role of burden of disease assessment in tracking progress towards achieving WHO global air quality guidelines". International Journal of Public Health. 65 (8): 1455–1465. doi:10.1007/s00038-020-01479-z. PMC 7588380. PMID 33057794.
  12. ^ Williams, Martin; Lott, Melissa; Kitwiroon, Nutthida; Dajnak, David; Walton, Heather; et al. (1 May 2018). "The Lancet Countdown on health benefits from the UK Climate Change Act: a modelling study for Great Britain". The Lancet Planetary Health. 2 (5): e202–e213. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(18)30067-6. hdl:10044/1/59149. PMID 29709284. S2CID 14035459.
  13. ^ Shindekk, D; Kuylenstierna, J; Vignati, E; van Dingenen, R; Annen, M; et al. (13 January 2012). "Simultaneously Mitigating Near-Term Climate Change and Improving Human Health and Food Security". Science. 335 (6065): 183–189. Bibcode:2012Sci...335..183S. doi:10.1126/science.1210026. PMID 22246768. S2CID 14113328. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  14. ^ Anenberg, Susan; Schwartz, Joel; Shindell, Drew; Amann, Markus; Faluvegi, Greg; et al. (1 June 2012). "Global Air Quality and Health Co-benefits of Mitigating Near-Term Climate Change through Methane and Black Carbon Emission Controls". Science. 13 (1): 831–839. doi:10.1289/ehp.1104301. PMC 3385429. PMID 22418651.
  15. ^ Williams, M; Beevers, S; Kitwirron, N; Dajnak, D; Walton, H; et al. (2018). Public Health Air Pollution Pathway Options to Meet the 2020 Climate Change Target - A Modelling Study. London: King's College.
  16. ^ Lewis, Alastair; Monks, Paul (2 October 2020). "Tribute to Professor Martin Williams". UK Air. Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Professor Martin Williams appointed as Clean Air Champion to spearhead major programme tackling air pollution". King's College, London. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  18. ^ Nelson, N; Holman, C. "Obituary: Professor Martin Williams". Institute of Air Quality Management. Retrieved 25 January 2022.

External links[edit]

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