RISUD Distinguished Lecture: From Air Pollution to the Exposome: Making Environmental Health Actionable

Air pollution remains one of the leading environmental risks to human health, yet major questions persist about which specific components (e.g. ultrafine particles, tyre and brake wear), sources (e.g. traffic, industry, agriculture), and biological mechanisms drive disease. In our projects, we combine mobile monitoring, individual exposure assessment, high-resolution exposure modelling, and exposome approaches to better understand environmental determinants of health across the life course. This talk will highlight how emerging data and analytical advances are transforming air pollution research—from strengthening causal inference and refining burden-of-disease estimates to identifying actionable targets for prevention and healthier cities.

Biography

Prof. Roel VERMEULEN

Professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Exposome Science, 
Utrecht University and University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), 
the Netherlands

Roel VERMEULEN is a Professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Exposome Science at Utrecht University and University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), the Netherlands. He is a Distinguished University Professor for his interdisciplinary leadership and scientific excellence.

His research focuses on the environmental causes of non-communicable diseases, combining exposure science, epidemiology and molecular biology. He is recognised internationally for advancing exposome research, coordinating major initiatives such as the Dutch Exposome-NL Gravitation Programme, the EU-funded EXPANSE project (part of the European Human Exposome Network), the International Human Exposome Network (IHEN) and the AURORA project on micro- and nanoplastics.

Prof. VERMEULEN is the Scientific Director of the Institute for Preventive Health (i4PH), a strategic alliance between Eindhoven University of Technology, Wageningen University & Research, Utrecht University, and UMC Utrecht. He chairs the Planetary Health Community within Utrecht Life Sciences. He previously worked at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Prof. Vermeulen has over 950 peer-reviewed publications and is a widely cited expert in environmental health and has contributed to international policymaking through advisory roles with the WHO, the U.S. National Toxicology Program and the Dutch Health Council.