The nexus between climate change, extreme air pollution events and public health - Towards a holistic approach

About this opportunity

Climate change is a major public health concern. In addition to its direct impacts on temperature patterns and extreme weather events, climate change affects public health indirectly through its influence on air pollution (Borge et al., 2019). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution can lead to more than 4.2 million deaths annually, whereas both chronic and acute exposures to particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have all been associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality and morbidity and other adverse health effects.

Severe episodic air pollution events are caused by local, regional, or transboundary (anthropogenic or natural) emissions of air pollutants. Still, specific meteorological conditions often favour the development of such events and influence their severity (Morawska et al., 2021). For example, PM2.5 episodes during periods of high temperature in summer months in the UK can lead to an additional 45 deaths per day (Fenech et al., 2019), which are projected to increase in the coming years (Park et al., 2020). Within this context, the nexus between extreme air pollution events and public health outcomes emerges as a critical area requiring holistic and comprehensive investigation.

This PhD aims to explore the multifaceted dynamics underlying the relationship between extreme air pollution episodes and their impacts on public health. It will focus on developing mechanisms, assessing public health impacts, addressing social injustices, informing mitigation strategies and providing a cost-benefit analysis. The research will adopt an interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon principles from atmospheric science, epidemiology, public health policy and health economics and will aim to explore key research topics:

• Characterising Extreme Air Pollution Events: Utilising air pollution and weather monitoring data, the project will identify and characterise extreme air pollution events, including episodes of high particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) levels, and other harmful pollutants
• Assessing Public Health Impacts: Employing epidemiological models, the study will quantify the short-term and long-term health impacts associated with extreme air pollution events. This assessment will encompass all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates, as well as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases healthcare activity
• Environmental Justice and Vulnerable Populations: The project will identify vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by extreme air pollution by analysing demographic data and socio-economic factors. This includes communities located near industrial sites, low-income neighbourhoods, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions
• Health Economic Impacts: The project will estimate the cost of illness associated with extreme air pollution events. This will translate into a reduction in health and social care costs, Years Life Lost (YLL) and Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) or Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). It may also be extended to look at these costs by source of pollution, and weighing the economic value of industries against the health-related costs.

Who is this opportunity for?

This project is open to self-funded UK and international applicants. The successful applicant should have good written and verbal communication skills in English and an interest in public health science, health data science and environmental research. They should also hold a minimum undergraduate qualification 2:1, or equivalent, in life sciences, atmospheric or computer science, statistics or health-related subjects. Candidates interested in environmental exposure assessment or health inequalities are encouraged to apply.

Preferred (but not essential criteria):

• Master’s degree in Data Science, Public Health or another quantitative discipline
• Good knowledge of Python/R or similar
• Experience with big datasets.

Equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to the success of The University of Liverpool and are at the heart of all of our activities.

Further reading

1. Fenech, S., Doherty, R.M., Heaviside, C., Macintyre, H.L., O’Connor, F.M., Vardoulakis, S., Neal, L. and Agnew, P., 2019. Meteorological drivers and mortality associated with O3 and PM2. 5 air pollution episodes in the UK in 2006. Atmospheric environment, 213, pp.699-710
2. Morawska, L., Zhu, T., Liu, N., Torkmahalleh, M.A., de Fatima Andrade, M., Barratt, B., Broomandi, P., Buonanno, G., Ceron, L.C.B., Chen, J. and Cheng, Y., 2021. The state of science on severe air pollution episodes: Quantitative and qualitative analysis. Environment International, 156, p.106732
3. Borge, R., Requia, W.J., Yagüe, C., Jhun, I. and Koutrakis, P., 2019. Impact of weather changes on air quality and related mortality in Spain over a 25 year period [1993–2017]. Environment International, 133, p.105272
4. Park, S., Allen, R.J. & Lim, C.H. A likely increase in fine particulate matter and premature mortality under future climate change. Air Qual Atmos Health 13, 143–151 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-019-00785-7.

Additional costs

We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.

Find out more about the additional study costs that may apply to this project.

Funding your PhD

If you're a UK national, or have settled status in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan worth up to £30,301 to help with course fees and living costs.

There’s also a variety of alternative sources of funding. These include funded research opportunities and financial support from UK research councils, charities and trusts. Your supervisor may be able to help you secure funding.

Contact us

Have a question about this research opportunity or studying a PhD with us? Please get in touch with us, using the contact details below, and we’ll be happy to assist you.