Assistant Research Professor

Focus of research

As a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Atmospheric Science, my research centres on a problem of huge significance -- air quality and its impact on human health. My main research focus has been to successfully develop and deploy sensors and sensor networks for a range of studies including air pollution assessment, exposure and health studies, and greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring. Our new approaches allow us to extract previously unrecorded data, which provide much-needed evidence and support for policies and interventions.

Other aspects of my research include investigating how observations from both sensor and reference networks can be utilised in improving the performance of air quality models, including data assimilation for refinement of emission inventories, pollution forecasts and footprint analysis in urban and, more recently, in agricultural and rural environments.

Projects

I have made significant contributions to several research projects on low-cost sensors (LCS) in the UK including Sensor Network for Air Quality at London Heathrow airport (SNAQ-Heathrow Project), the C40/CIFF funded Breathe London pilot project and network of LCS research-COP26 in Glasgow. International projects I have worked on include the NERC funded Air Pollution and Human Health (APHH) in China, the BELIEVE study in Bangladesh, the EU Citisense project, GCRF funded air pollution studies in Kenya and Royal Academy ALPHA project in Cameroon and Nigeria and a recently started collaboration on the Air Quality Management Community of Practice in Africa Project. My current research work is the NERC funded Landscape Regeneration Solutions to the Interlinked Extinction and Climate Crises that support Sustainable Development (UCAM-Regen), where I am contributing to the atmospheric observations using sensor network approach, data assimilation and developing a novel low-cost flux device.

Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry

I joined the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge in 2012 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and I am currently a Senior Research Associate, working most closely with Professor Rod Jones and Dr Chiara Giorio.

Publications

Evaluating low-cost NDIR CO2 sensors for atmospheric observations in rural settings
O Popoola, P Cicuta, RH Georgiou, L Tom, R Freshwater, K Leet, C Giorio
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
(2026)
Particulate matter source identification and triangulation using a low-cost sensor network in Nigeria
J Rehbein, D Bousiotis, O Popoola, A Baruah, O Fawole, O Owoade, F Pope
Clean Air Journal
(2026)
36
Evaluating low-cost NDIR CO2 for atmospheric observation in rural settings
OAM Popoola, P Cicuta, RH Georgiou, L Tom, R Freshwater, K Leet, C Giorio
(2026)
Supplementary material to "Evaluating low-cost NDIR CO 2 for atmospheric observation in rural settings"
OAM Popoola, P Cicuta, RH Georgiou, L Tom, R Freshwater, K Leet, C Giorio
(2026)
A framework for advancing independent air quality sensor measurements via transparent data generating process classification
S Diez, TJ Bannan, M Chacón-Mateos, PM Edwards, V Ferracci, D Kılıç, AC Lewis, C Malings, NA Martin, O Popoola, C Rosales, S Schmitz, P Schneider, E von Schneidemesser
npj Climate and Atmospheric Science
(2025)
8
Occurrence of a “forever chemical” in the atmosphere above pristine Amazon Forest
I Kourtchev, BG Sebben, S Brill, CGG Barbosa, B Weber, RR Ferreira, FAF D'Oliveira, CQ Dias-Junior, OAM Popoola, J Williams, C Pöhlker, RHM Godoi
(2025)
Cohort profile: The BangladEsh Longitudinal Investigation of Emerging Vascular and nonvascular Events (BELIEVE) cohort study
R Chowdhury, N Khan, L Pennells, MLC Iurilli, MT Uddin Miah, MM Monower, KMT Rahman, S Samin, KN Saqeeb, I Tasmin, E Farrow, S Farrow, A Michielsen, C Perry, S Spackman, C van Coeverden, M Walker, T Ahmed, J Ajioka, KAA Awal, AS Butterworth, E Chatzidiakou, J Feldmann, R Fenner, MS Flora, T Haque, S Hawkes, SS Islam, S Islam, RL Jones, S Kaptoge, KH Khan, L King, S Luhar, A Malik, F-T-N Malik, RT Naved, A Naheed, O Popoola, R Raqib, T Shirin, S Sutton, KR van Daalen, A Wood, S Griffin, N Mascie Taylor, M Khalequzzaman, MA Khan, SR Choudhury, E Di Angelantonio, J Danesh, BELIEVE Study
BMJ Open
(2025)
15
Occurrence of a " forever chemical " in the atmosphere above pristine Amazon Forest
I Kourtchev, BG Sebben, S Brill, CGG Barbosa, B Weber, RR Ferreira, FAF D'Oliveira, CQ Dias-Junior, OAM Popoola, J Williams, C Pöhlker, RHM Godoi
The Science of The Total Environment
(2024)
944
Assessment of the temporal and seasonal variabilities in air pollution and implications for physical activity in Lagos and Yaoundé
OAM Popoola, R Alani, F Assah, T Lawanson, AK Tchouaffi, C Mapa-Tassou, N Blanche, D Odekunle, R Unuigboje, VA Onifade, T Ogunro, M Thondoo, RL Jones, T Oni
Atmosphere
(2023)
14
Spatiotemporal distribution of pollutants and impact of local meteorology on source influence on pollutants' level in a traffic air-shed in Lagos megacity, Nigeria.
AP Olufemi, OG Fawole, OK Owoade, OAM Popoola, RL Jones, AB Toyeje, PO Abiodun, OR Omokungbe, OE Abiye, LA Sunmonu
Environmental monitoring and assessment
(2023)
195

Postdoctoral researcher

Telephone number

01223 746830

Email address