Authors

Guy Coulson

I’ve been in the Environment industry most of my working life one way or another. During my time I’ve done most of the jobs, I’ve built footpaths and erected hides, managed nature reserves, advised multinational corporations on their environmental liability and consulted on Environmental Management Systems. I’ve worked on fuel-cell power systems for cars and ships and the economics of photovoltaic production for the UK Department of Trade and Industry.
Most of my time however, has been in research; I’ve reconstructed historical climates from Antarctic ice cores, investigated air/snow exchanges of pollutants in the Arctic and the atmospheric processing of pollutants in remote and rural regions. For the past ten years I’ve concentrated on understanding urban pollution and creating and managing New Zealand’s most experienced team of air quality researchers.
When I’m not working, I’d rather be climbing mountains.

Ian Longley

My children don’t think I’m a real scientist, because I don’t have a white coat and don’t invent things that explode. What I do tell them is that I am a doctor for the environment. Although trained in Engineering and with a PhD in Physics, both from the University of Manchester, what I love about my job is that I need to know a little bit of chemistry, human biology, economics, politics and human psychology. Having moved to NZ in 2007 I now find myself leading NIWA’s air quality research programme, insofar as it is possible to lead a group of talented, expert professionals. I do this job because NZ could and should have the best air quality in the world.

Gustavo Olivares

Originally from Santiago (Chile), I've moved around to Sweden and now to New Zealand. My background is in chemical engineering, with an early interest on air pollution ... particularly urban environments (because you can almost always count with a pub near any urban site). My recent projects have dealt with the characterisation of aerosols from urban traffic and heating sources and the development of new low-cost instrumentation.