Work was conducted via 6 work packages (WPs): (1) project management, (2) training and knowledge transfer, (3) development of sensors for measuring VOCs (4) integration of sensors in a prototype, (5) sensor application to indoor air quality monitoring, (6) communication and dissemination.
The project was managed under WP1. As part of WP2 (researcher training and transfer of knowledge), the Research Fellow attended 34 training workshops and multi-day conferences. She provided supervision and mentoring to early career researchers and educated over 300 undergraduate and postgraduate students through a series of guest lectures and demonstrations. During this MSCA Fellowship, she received the Irish Research Council Lindau Nobel Meeting Award, was elected to the Management Committee of COST Action CA17136 (Indoor Air Pollution Network) and as Leader of the Action’s Early Career Investigator Network. She was invited to speak at numerous events including a Gordon Research Conference and the IFSCC International Speaker Program. She also earned a professional certificate from the Institute of Leadership and Management.
WP3 involved developing and testing sensor materials for detection of VOCs. WP3 delivered a suite of 16 sensor formulations, a training data set, and an image analysis method to measure sensor colour changes. WP4 aimed to integrate the materials developed in WP3 into a prototype suitable for field deployment in WP5. WP4 delivered a protype sensor platform and a transfer printing method for rapid sensor fabrication. WP4 also delivered a packaging method for sensor preservation. Sensors were employed for differentiation of emissions from cooking activities and sensor performance was validated. WP5 involved sensor application to indoor air pollution monitoring. A training data set for different indoor environments was established and the environments were differentiated from each other based on their unique chemical fingerprints. WP5 culminated in a citizen science survey of household air pollution in 11 homes. In WP6 the Research Fellow delivered 14 public engagement activities to educate individuals on the importance of indoor air quality and communicate research findings.
Results of this MSCA are reported in (1) a forthcoming paper on monitoring VOC emissions from different cooking activities; (2) a forthcoming paper on monitoring household air pollution with colorimetric sensors; (3) a forthcoming paper on colorimetric sensing of VOC emissions from human skin. The datasets collected during this MSCA will continue to inform and enhance numerous publications in the coming years.
