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The Management Board is responsible for the strategic planning of the CDT and comprises representatives from the Academic Team and the Core Team.

Jonathan Reid

Jonathan is the Director of the CDT and chairs the Management and Thematic Boards. He oversees all elements of the CDT delivery, but his activity particularly focuses on: student recruitment; the training programmes accessed by our cohorts, partners and aligned students; academic partnerships and the assessment of PhD proposals; and our events including the Aerosol Measurement Forum, Annual Conference and summer schools. Jonathan also acts as a personal tutor for half the students in each CDT cohort, both during the first training year and beyond.

About Jonathan

Jonathan grew up in Kent where he attended his local state primary and grammar schools. He was the first generation in his family to go to University to study for a science degree; his Dad trained as a music teacher and his mother taught piano. He studied for a BA and MA in Chemistry at the University of Oxford, graduating with a first class degree before studying for a D Phil in Chemistry, also at Oxford.

After a period working as a post-doctoral research assistant at the University of Colorado, USA, he moved to a lectureship at the University of Birmingham, UK. In 2004, he moved to the University of Bristol and was promoted to Professor in 2009. He formed the Bristol Aerosol Research Centre in 2012, has been the President of the UK and Ireland Aerosol Society (2017-2020) and is the Editor-in-Chief of Aerosol Science and technology.

Rachael Miles

Rachael (she/her) is the CDT Course Manager and Chair of the CDT ED&I committee. She organises and oversees delivery of the first-year training programme in Bristol, as well as co-organising further training events during the remaining PhD years. Rachael acts as a personal tutor for half the students in each CDT cohort, both during the first training year and beyond. As Chair of the ED&I committee, Rachael works with the CDT team, student cohort representatives, and Industrial Partner representatives, to ensure that the CDT recruitment and training processes are as diverse and inclusive as possible.

About Rachael

Rachael grew up in Yorkshire where she attended her local state primary and comprehensive (secondary) schools. She was part of the first generation in her family to go to university, studying for an MSci in Natural Sciences (Chemistry) at the University of Cambridge, where she graduated with a 2:1 degree. After enjoying working on her research project in the final year of her undergraduate degree, Rachael moved to the University of Bristol to study for a PhD in Aerosol Science. Upon completion of this, she worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Bristol Aerosol Research Centre for the next ten years, undertaking research on many different aspects of aerosol science. During this time Rachael took a nine-month period of maternity leave, returning on reduced hours to allow her to balance work and home responsibilities. She became the Aerosol Science CDT Course Manager at the launch of the CDT in 2019.

Adam Boies

Adam (he/him) is a Professor of Nanomaterials and Aerosol Engineering and CDT Partnership Director. He organises and helps link the CDT industrial and government partners to CDT training materials and PhD students. A key aspect to the Partnership Board is to ensure that PhD students are able to access and interact with partners outside of academia to realize translational impacts of their studies and research. Adam teaches Core Aerosol Science course 1.2 within each CDT cohort. As both educator and partnership director, Adam wants to ensure that all students see direct relationships between the coursework, PhD dissertation and future careers.

About Adam

Adam grew up in rural Missouri where he attended his local state primary and secondary schools. His region is not known nationally or internationally for high academic outcomes. He attended a local undergraduate university, Missouri Science & Technology where he was initially enrolled as a Statistician. Upon transferring to engineering he primary studied thermal fluids and energy transfer. He spent two years as a consultant in the green building industry conducting load analysis for purposes of sizing heating and cooling equipment. Adam first studied aerosols upon enrolling as a PhD student at the University of Minnesota. Upon completion of the PhD he moved to the University of Cambridge as a Lecturer in 2011. He has had to take time away from Cambridge to care for a family member with terminal cancer. He helped create the Aerosol Science CDT as he is passionate about the field and broad contributions that it has to solving some of society’s most pressing challenges.

Kerry Knox

Kerry is the science education specialist with the CDT. She supports the CDT to fulfil its commitment to making use of educational research in the design of its training environment and conducts research to understand the effectiveness of the training and how it is experienced by our postgraduate researchers. She contributes to certain training elements and with Rachael organizes the Annual Forum on Education in Aerosol Science, which brings together educators in the field.

About Kerry

Kerry grew up in Bristol and studied for an MSci in Natural Sciences (Chemistry) at the University of Cambridge, graduating with a first-class degree. After this Kerry moved to the University of Oxford where she completed a PGCE in secondary science teaching. Still not quite ready to give up her student discount, Kerry then studied for a PhD in Aerosol Science under the supervision of Prof. Jonathan Reid. During her PhD Kerry enjoyed undergraduate teaching and volunteering with the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

After a brief period of postdoctoral research in Jonathan’s group, Kerry moved to the University of British Columbia (UBC), where she worked as a postdoctoral researcher and Killam Research Fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Ruth Signorell (now of ETH). While at UBC Kerry became involved in the work of the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative, eventually joining them full-time as a Science Teaching and Learning Fellow – a role which combined her scientific background with training in educational innovation and research methods. While living in Canada Kerry enjoyed the outdoor lifestyle and in particular cross-country skiing. Kerry returned to the UK in 2015 to take up a lectureship in science education at the University of York.

Sheena Cruickshank

Sheena (she/her) is an immunologist and a member of the CDT Management board. She is based in the University of Manchester. Her research focuses on understanding how the barrier sites in our body, which are in contact with the external environment – such as the lungs, skin and gut, respond to threats like infections or pollutants. A key interest is in how pollutants may be impacting the development of inflammation and response to pathogens. She is an award-winning science communicator who involves diverse communities in this research including the development of a citizen science project called Britain Breathing that is revealing how respiratory symptoms of asthma and allergy are impacted by the environment. In addition to her research and public engagement she runs a large immunology module for undergraduates at Manchester and is involved with teaching and training on the CDT in the first year.

About Sheena

Sheena grew up in the very North Highlands of Scotland where she attended her local state primary and high (secondary) schools. She went onto study a joint honours degree in Biochemistry and Immunology at the University of Strathclyde where she graduated with a 2:1 degree. She stayed in Glasgow for a year working in research labs at the University before moving to Leeds Cancer Research UK to do a PhD in immunology. She became the first generation in her family to go into post-graduate education and upon completion of this, she worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher with Cancer Research UK in Leeds and London and the University of Leeds. After 6 years being a postdoctoral researcher she was promoted to a senior postdoctoral fellow at the University of Leeds. She continued as a senior postdoctoral fellow and had two periods of maternity leave returning each time on reduced hours to allow her to balance work and home responsibilities. During her second pregnancy, she was recruited to the University of Manchester as a lecturer and joined there full time in late 2007. She was promoted to senior lecturer in 2014 and professor in 2017. At Manchester she also acts as the University’s academic lead for public engagement where she leads on public engagement strategy for the University.

Dan Hardy

Dan (he/him) is the CDT Assistant Course Manager. He facilitates delivery of the first-year training programme in Bristol, assists in the organisation of CDT events, and is a personal tutor to students throughout their PhD.

About Dan

Dan was home educated from primary through to the end of his GCSE’s, living in central Manchester and then rural Shropshire. Dan took his A levels at a state sixth form college in Shrewsbury. Unsure if further study was his preferred option, Dan then took a gap year. The gap year was facilitated thought the Engineering Development Trust Year in Industry scheme and Dan took a placement at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). During this time, he applied to university, finding a place to Chemical Physics at the University of Bristol. Dan’s course was a four-year integrated masters (MSci) and he graduated with a 2:1. In the concluding months of his undergraduate degree, Dan applied for an industrially funded PhD studentship at the University of Bristol. He found the transition from a taught undergraduate course to a research degree to be one that suited him. Concluding his PhD in 2022, Dan commenced his role as Assistant Couse Manager in a part time capacity. Alongside his teaching role, Dan is the CEO of Microsol, a deep-science start-up which he founded in the final year of his PhD, having become interested in research commercialization