Personal profile
Research interests
Air Pollution; Atmospheric Science; Environmental Health; Environmental Chemistry; Aerosol Science
Qualifications
B.Sc. (Class I Honours Chemistry) - University of Birmingham (July 1969)
Ph.D. (Organic Chemistry) - University of Birmingham (December 1972)
D.Sc. (Environmental Chemistry) - University of Birmingham (July 1989)
Biography
Roy Harrison is Queen Elizabeth II Birmingham Centenary Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Birmingham, UK, and also Distinguished Adjunct Professor at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. His research interests are in air pollution, especially airborne particulate matter. He has also been heavily engaged at the science/policy interface as a member of several government technical advisory groups for the Department of Health and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the U.K. including past membership of Defra’s Science Advisory Council. He was a contributor to the World Health Organization Global Air Quality Guidelines and the Guidelines for Quality of Indoor Air. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2004 New Year Honours List and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2017. He is author of over 660 papers in the peer-reviewed literature, and is listed by Web of Science as a Highly Cited Researcher.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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A Critical Comparison of Exposure Estimators for Airborne Particulate Matter in Urban Cyclists
Al Marj, E., Mahou, I., Harrison, R. M., Pope, F. D., Fort, A. & Charron, A., 17 Feb 2026, In: Toxics. 14, 2, 18 p., 179.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Analysis of the abundance and impacts of volatile organic compounds across Europe
Liu, X., Wang, M., An, T., Zhang, X., Wang, T., Lara, R., Monge, M., Dufresne, M., Yañez-Serrano, A. M., Seco, R., Gohy, M., Petit, P., Chevalier, A., Vagnot, M.-P., Fortier, Y., Baudic, A., Ghersi, V., Gille, G., Lanzi, L. & Gros, V. & 20 others, , 20 Mar 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science. 28 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Downloads (Pure) -
Constraining the intensive absorption properties of ambient organic aerosol particles based on pan-European observations
Rovira, J., Yus-Díez, J., Chen, G. I., Močnik, G., Gysel-Beer, M., Aas, W., Aurela, M., Backman, J., Banerji, S., Brem, B. T., Canals-Angerri, A., Chazeau, B., Daellenbach, K. R., de Brito, J. F., Diapouli, E., Eleftheriadis, K., Ehn, M., Favez, O., Flentje, H. & Gini, M. I. & 47 others, , 10 Apr 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science. 32 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure) -
Continental river runoff enhances atmospheric aerosol formation over the Arctic Ocean
Brean, J., Fichot, C. G., Beddows, D. C. S., Worsnop, D., Shi, Z., Harrison, R. M., Asmi, E. & Dall´Osto, M., Dec 2026, In: Communications Earth and Environment. 7, 1, 10 p., 52.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile11 Downloads (Pure) -
Dominant contribution of fossil fuel combustion to carbonaceous aerosol pollution in Delhi: Insights from radiocarbon and organic tracers
Wang, Z., Srivastava, D., Alam, M. S., Crilley, L. R., Kramer, L. J., Rooney, D. J., Saksakulkrai, S., Khare, M., Ascough, P., Bompard, N., Gulliver, P., Shanks, R., Xu, X., Cash, J. M., Di Marco, C. F., Langford, B., Nemitz, E., Shivani, Gadi, R. & Harrison, R. M. & 3 others, , 15 Feb 2026, In: Journal of Hazardous Materials. 504, 11 p., 141289.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile9 Downloads (Pure)
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A Regulatory Blind Spot: Integrating Ultrafine Particle Formation into CCS Amine Emission Modelling [UKCCSRC]
Harrison, R. (Researcher) & Brean, J. (Principal Investigator)
1/04/26 → 30/06/26
Project: Research
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NERC SRM Theme3 - Natural Analogue - Quantifying efficacy and risks of solar radiation management approaches using natural analogues (QUESTION)
Cassidy, M. (Researcher), Chen, Y. (Principal Investigator) & Harrison, R. (Researcher)
Natural Environment Research Council
1/10/25 → 30/09/29
Project: Research Councils
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Air Quality Supersite Operation
Harrison, R. (Principal Investigator), Bloss, W. (Co-Investigator) & Shi, Z. (Co-Investigator)
Department For Environment, Food And Rural Affairs
1/04/24 → 31/03/30
Project: Other Government Departments
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EU-CHINA-BRIDGE - Building Roadmaps to Industrial Decarbonisation and Green Economy through EU-China Cooperation
Shan, Y. (Principal Investigator), Harrison, R. (Co-Investigator) & Shi, Z. (Co-Investigator)
UKRI Horizon Europe Underwriting Innovate UK
1/04/24 → 31/03/27
Project: Research
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AEROSOLS - AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH IMPACT OF PRIMARY SEMI-VOLATILE AND SECONDARY PARTICLES AND THEIR ABATEMENT
Tsolakis, A. (Co-Investigator), Harrison, R. (Co-Investigator), Zeraati Rezaei, S. (Principal Investigator) & Herreros, M. (Co-Investigator)
European Commission, UKRI Horizon Europe Underwriting Innovate UK
1/01/24 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
Datasets
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Air Pollution datasets in megacities for a road increment of particulate matter
Harrison, R. (Creator) & VU, V. T. (Creator), University of Birmingham, 2020
DOI: 10.25500/edata.bham.00000420
Dataset
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Research data supporting “Measurement of Road Traffic Brake and Tyre Dust Emissions using both Particle Composition and Size Distribution Data”
Harrison, R. (Creator) & Beddows, D. (Creator), University of Birmingham, 14 Feb 2023
DOI: 10.25500/edata.bham.00000919
Dataset
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NPF UK Data
Bousiotis, D. (Creator) & Harrison, R. (Creator), University of Birmingham, 2019
DOI: 10.25500/edata.bham.00000307
Dataset
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Research data supporting "Optimisation of a Numerical Model to Simulate the Dispersion and Chemical Transformations Within the NO/NO2/NOx/O3 System as Traffic Pollution Enters an Urban Greenspace"
Harrison, R. (Creator) & Komalasari, D. (Creator), University of Birmingham, 10 Aug 2021
DOI: 10.25500/edata.bham.00000704
Dataset
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Research data supporting “Emissions of ultrafine particles from civil aircraft: dependence upon aircraft type and passenger load”
Harrison, R. (Creator) & Stacey, B. (Creator), University of Birmingham, 2021
DOI: 10.25500/edata.bham.00000749
Dataset
Activities
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NIHR HPRU 2017 Annual Meeting
Harrison, R. (Invited speaker)
2017 → …Activity: Academic and Industrial events › Conference, workshop or symposium
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International Symposium: Current Trends in Nanotoxicology
Harrison, R. (Invited speaker)
2017 → …Activity: Academic and Industrial events › Conference, workshop or symposium
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Climate and Atmospheric Science (Journal)
Harrison, R. (Editor)
2016 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work › Editorial board of a journal
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EGU General Assembly 2016
Harrison, R. (Invited speaker)
2016 → …Activity: Academic and Industrial events › Conference, workshop or symposium
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European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2016
Harrison, R. (Contributor)
2016 → …Activity: Academic and Industrial events › Conference, workshop or symposium