George Downward

Dr. George Downward is an Associate Professor at Utrecht University's Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS) within the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine's Department of Population Health Sciences. His research focuses on environmental epidemiology, particularly the health impacts of air pollution (both indoor and outdoor), exposure assessment methodologies, and environmental risk analysis. He maintains expertise in areas including indoor environmental pollution, air quality, social equity in environmental health, and planetary health.

His research investigates how environmental exposures contribute to respiratory diseases, neurodegenerative conditions, cancer risks, and COVID-19 outcomes. Recent work examines urban exposome impacts on health, epigenetic consequences of pollution, and health disparities related to environmental factors. He frequently employs cohort studies and systematic reviews to assess complex environmental health relationships across diverse populations.

Dr. Downward's publication trends show strong focus on: 1) Air pollution epidemiology (especially PM2.5/ultrafine particles), 2) Respiratory health impacts (asthma, COPD, COVID-19), 3) Environmental carcinogenesis (lung cancer mechanisms), and 4) Novel exposure assessment methods. His international collaborations include significant work in China examining household air pollution from coal combustion.