Martin Gallagher is a Professor of Surface Atmosphere Exchange and Aerosol-Cloud Microphysics (and is the UK representative member of the Global Atmospheric Watch infrastructure IAGOS) at the University of Manchester. An academic member of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Aerosol Science, Martin specialises in experimental field research involving application of high resolution optoelectronic real-time aerosol-bioaerosol spectrometry for studying and quantifying natural and anthropogenic emissions.

What inspired you to co-develop the concept behind the Hub?

At Manchester, we have a long history of collaborating with commercial instrument manufacturers and research institutes, including the University of Hertfordshire and DSTL, This work has allowed us to develop commercial bioaerosol instrumentation and to expand academic research applications ranging from indoor air quality to extreme environment responses to climate change. We use these techniques to monitor various agricultural emissions, so we can model ecosystem, animal health and human health impacts. The Hub provides a unique platform for collaboration of interdisciplinary researchers across the  UK, US and EU universities and research institutes. This work has recently expanded to include projects with Japan and China. 

Which collaborative opportunities excite you the most?

The work we are currently conducting with the Rothamsted Research Institute to assess agricultural and farm animal related bioaerosol emissions is really exciting; applying real-time bioaerosol technology to measure bioaerosol fluxes using micrometeorological techniques. In addition long-term studies are being conducted to assess bioaerosol emission and dispersion impacts on natural and animal farm landscapes. We also have a second CDT PhD studentship that has just been granted to apply bioaerosol instrumentation to investigate bio-emission response to meteorological drivers in extreme environments. Additionally, there are a number of further collaborative projects at the planning stage, which is equally as exciting.

What motivated you to explore bioaerosol detection as part of your research?  

Throughout my career, I have largely focussed on exploring land-atmosphere exchange of aerosols and cloud particles and their contribution to land-atmosphere cycles. This work has evolved over the past two decades to include bio-precipitation and disease transmission research activities. These, however, increasingly require new technologies that can be readily integrated with existing rapid response measurement techniques to generate sufficiently accurate data products for emissions modelling. This represents a significant challenge to technology development which the hub is ideally placed to address. 

What are you most proud of in your research career?

I am most proud of working with a wide range of international, multi-disciplinary partners within the EU and US with shared research and technology aims. And I’m extremely excited to work collaboratively within the Hub to deliver future science.