Colin O'Dowd

Colin O'Dowd is a Personal Professor in the Department of Physics at the National University of Ireland Galway since 2009. He was elected to the Royal Irish Academy (2010) and holds a DSc from the University of Manchester (2007). His research spans atmospheric composition, aerosol dynamics, and climate interactions, with a focus on marine environments.

• Atmospheric composition
• Air-sea exchange
• Biogeochemical cycling
• Air pollution
• Atmospheric aerosols
• Climate change

O'Dowd's publications include 6 Nature papers as senior author and 1 Science paper, with an h-index of 71 (Google Scholar). His work has secured €24M in competitive funding over 22 years, including leadership in EU projects like EUCAARI and QUEST.

• NUI Galway President's award for research excellence (2018)
• Mason Medal, Royal Meteorological Society (2016)
• Royal Irish Academy Gold Medal in Geosciences (2013)
• Appleton Award & Medal, Institute of Physics (2012)
• German Aerosol Society Smoluchowski Award (2004)
• Fellow, Royal Meteorological Society (2003)
• Fellow, Institute of Physics (2002)

He has mentored 19 PhD/MSc graduates, 5 current students, and supervised 47 postdocs. His editorial roles include Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres Joint Editor-in-Chief (2000-2008) and contributions to Nature journals. Media engagement includes over 90 interviews and documentaries like 'C-CAPS Short Film' (2015).