International Scientific Programme Committee

Frank J Kelly BSc, PhD, FRSA

Professor Frank Kelly holds the chair in Environmental Health at King's College London, where he is Director of the Environmental Research Group and Deputy Director of the MRC-HPA Centre for Environment & Health. From these dual positions he is able to combine his two main research interests, namely free radical/antioxidant biochemistry and the impact of atmospheric pollution on human health. Frank has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers as well as many conference papers and books (as author or editor) on the toxicology and health effects of ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate pollution. He also leads a substantial research activity which spans all aspects of air pollution research from toxicology to science policy. The most recent figures released by the UK Government indicate that in 2008 up to 35,000 deaths were associated with particulate air pollution. The primary aim of Frank’s research is to understand the underlying toxicology of ambient pollution on health.

In addition to his academic work Frank is past President of the European Society for Free Radical Research and past Chairman of the British Association for Lung Research. He currently provides policy support to the WHO on air pollution issues and he sits on UK Governments Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution (COMEAP). In 2009 Frank appeared before the House of Commons environmental audit committee to provide evidence on the health effects of air pollution. The committee’s subsequent report concluded that poor air quality made asthma worse, exacerbated heart disease and respiratory illness and "probably causes more mortality and morbidity than passive smoking, road traffic accidents or obesity.

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