People
Dr Rikesh Panchal
Research Associate in Air Quality
School/Department: Physics and Astronomy, School of
Telephone: +44 (0)116 229 7659
Email: rp173@leicester.ac.uk
Address: Space Park Leicester, 92 Corporation Road, Leicester, LE4 5SP
Profile
I am a research associate in air quality working within the Physics and Astronomy group as well as the Centre for Environmental Health. My research lies in the field of both indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring with a focus in monitoring pollutants. I have experience in using and calibrating sensors for measuring concentrations of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM2.5).
I have worked with Leicester City Council in a project which involved monitoring pollutants at strategic location within Leicester with the aim of improving air quality and aiding in policy making. My previous work also involves a collaboration with the University of Nairobi, in which an air quality monitoring station was developed and utilised for PM2.5 monitoring at the University of Nairobi.
Research
My research interests include:
- Developing a methodology for indoor air quality monitoring in South Africa, a collaborative project with the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) with the aim of utilising the methodology across Sub- Saharan Africa.
- Examining the contribution to wood burning to PM2.5 in Leicester in collaboration with Leicester City Council funded by DEFRA.
- An National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) funded project examining the impact of the environment on health, which aims to to understand the environmental conditions within the hospital wards that impact a patient's sleep, by characterising noise, light and air quality levels in hospital settings and determining how these factors can affect a patient’s sleep.
Publications
Panchal, R., Benyon, M., Laban, T., Kwataka, N., Wernecke, B., Wright, C. Y. & Vande Hey, J. 2024. . Building and Environment, 266, 112099.
Panchal, R., Panagi, M., May, H. R., Obszynska, J. A., Evans, M. S., Hansell, A. L., Gulliver, J. & Vande Hey, J. D. 2022.. Journal of Transport & Health, 26, 101365.
Wright, C. Y., Kapwata, T., Abdelatif, N., Batini, C., Wernecke, B., Kunene, Z., Millar, D. A., Mathee, A., Street, R., Panchal, R., Hansell, A., Cordell, R. & Vande Hey, J. 2022. . Annals of Global Health, 88, 12.
Cordell, R. L., Panchal, R., Bernard, E., Gatari, M., Waiguru, E., Ng'ang'a, M., Nyang'aya, J., Ogot, M., Wilde, M. J., Wyche, K. P., ABAYOMI, A. A., ALANI, R., MONKS, P. S. & VANDE HEY, J. D. 2021. . Atmosphere, 12, 1329.
Wernecke, B., Wright, C. Y., Vande Hey, J., Piketh, S., Burger, R., Kunene, Z., Panchal, R., Millar, D., Ooosthuizen, D. N., Batini, C., John, C., Guyatt, A. L., Packer, R. J., Tobin, M. D., Hansell, A., Gulliver, J., Cordell, R. L., Micklesfield, L. K., Ramsayi, I., Michele, Gayenga, J., Xavier Gomez-Olive, F., Ngobeni, K., Baloyi, V. & Language, B. 2021. . Clean Air Journal, 31, 1-4.
Vande Hey, J. D., Sonderfeld, H., Jeanjean, A. P. R., Panchal, R., Leigh, R. J., Allen, M. A., Dawson, M. & Monks, P. S. 2018. . Aerosol Science and Technology, 52, 1249-1265.