Dr Rikesh Panchal

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 (PM_2.5). 

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 PM_2.5 monitoring at the University of Nairobi. 

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 PM_2.5 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.

Panchal, R., Benyon, M., Laban, T., Kwataka, N., Wernecke, B., Wright, C. Y. & Vande Hey, J. 2024. Reviewing the methodologies used to assess household PM2.5 air pollution in sub-Saharan Africa. 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. Personal air pollution exposure during morning commute car and active transport journeys. 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. Household Air Pollution and Respiratory Symptoms a Month Before and During the Stringent COVID-19 Lockdown Levels 5 and 4 in South Africa. 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. Volatile Organic Compound Composition of Urban Air in Nairobi, Kenya and Lagos, Nigeria. 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. Opportunities for the application of low-cost sensors in epidemiological studies to advance evidence of air pollution impacts on human health. 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. Experimental and modeling assessment of a novel automotive cabin PM2.5 removal system. Aerosol Science and Technology, 52, 1249-1265.