John Jeyes Lectureship 2009/2010 Winner

Awarded for his major contributions to our understanding of the chemical composition of the earth's atmosphere using models and multi disciplinary approaches to study the present and changing state.  

This includes the ability of the troposphere to cleanse itself of pollutants, the effect on stratospheric ozone of CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and chlorofluorocarbons, and the interaction between the biosphere and the atmosphere.  

Professor Pyle has also made major impacts on international discussions and proposals for safe-guarding the global climate system and fully merits this prestigious award for chemistry in relation to the environment.

About the Winner

John Pyle obtained a BSc in Physics at Durham before moving to Oxford where he completed a DPhil in Atmospheric Physics, helping to develop a numerical model for stratospheric ozone studies. 

After a short period at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory he moved to Cambridge University in 1985. In 2000 he was appointed Professor of Atmospheric Science and since 2007 has been the 1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry. 

His research focuses on the numerical modelling of atmospheric chemistry. Problems involving the interaction between chemistry and climate have been addressed; these range from stratospheric ozone depletion to the changing tropospheric oxidizing capacity. 

Professor Pyle has played a major role in building an EU stratospheric research programme , coordinating several major field campaigns and has contributed to all the WMO/UNEP assessments on stratospheric ozone since the early 1980s and is now a Co-Chair of the these assessments.