About us

Pollution is a leading cause of non-communicable diseases and environmental degradation. The increasing production of synthetic chemicals and the vast array of materials, components and products in our economy have resulted in widespread pollution, comprising countless chemicals and materials. This pollution - whether chemical or material-based - poses serious threats to wildlife and human health, as well as to the quality of our air, soil, and water, ultimately jeopardizing our food and water supply.

Building on the strong track record of Brunel staff, the Centre for Pollution Research and Policy (CPRP) is committed to advancing efforts to protect the environment and human health from all forms of pollution – whether in the air, soil, water, or biosphere. In a rapidly changing world where global challenges are complex and interconnected, CPRP strives to lead in research and innovation, driving solutions that promote sustainable practices, resilient ecosystems, and informed policymaking.

Objectives:

Pioneering cutting-edge research: Conduct and support high-quality research that tackles the world’s most pressing challenges and pushes the boundaries of knowledge in environmental pollution, management and governance encompassing both fundamental and applied research, aligning with the needs of environmentally sustainable global societies and economies.
Fostering a collaborative environment: Grow and strengthen existing partnerships with industry, government and local authorities, while building collaborations across diverse academic disciplines to facilitate the exchange of ideas and approaches.
Translate research into action: Ensure that research outcomes are effectively applied to real-world scenarios, contributing to policy development, industry innovations, and societal benefits.
Engage communities locally and globally: Actively involve communities to raise awareness about the local impact of pollution’s impacts on the total environment and develop deeper and stronger relationships that encourage public participation in research activities.
Disseminate knowledge widely: Share research findings through publications, conferences, and public outreach, enhancing CPRP’s visibility and impact both nationally and internationally.
Secure sustainable funding: Identify and secure diverse funding sources to ensure CPRP’s long-term sustainability and the continuous advancement of its research agenda.

These objectives align with CPRP’s overarching aim: to bridge the gap between theory and practice, conducting impactful research that addresses critical global challenges.

The Centre is led by Dr Eleni Iacovidou, an expert in sustainable waste and resource management. Her research focuses on enhancing environmental resilience, promoting planetary health, and creating value through circular value chains. Dr Iacovidou has a proven track record of translating research into effective practices and policies that improve environmental management and reduce pollution in the UK and beyond. Her work has influenced policy approaches to optimise resource and waste management systems while tackling pollution from improper management and disposal. She has significantly advanced our understanding of assessment and management by challenging the traditional siloed and single-dimensional focus.

The Centre is supported by Deputy Director Dr Theodoros Giakoumis, an expert in integrated water resources management and policy. His research employs systems thinking to tackle complex environmental issues, such as water pollution control from multiple pressures, formulating evidence-based methodologies to enhance decision-making and facilitate the effective implementation of environmental policies.

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Dr Eleni Iacovidou is a leading expert in lifecycle sustainability assessment of resource and waste management systems, utilising a systems-based approach. Her research focuses on enhancing environmental resilience, promoting planetary health, and creating value through circular value chains. She pioneered the Complex Value Optimisation for Resource Recovery (CVORR) approach, which combines environmental science, engineering, and governance to evaluate material flows and their lifecycle impacts holistically. This innovative approach has gained significant recognition, guiding policymakers and decision-makers nationally and internationally to identify key intervention points for advancing sustainability in resource and waste management.

Iacovidou plays a crucial role in a European-wide research partnership on plastics and chemical risk assessment, contributing to the establishment of safe and sustainable design principles for materials and products (EU/PARC/101057014), and supporting the net-zero pollution ambition, focusing on the links between the environment, health, and chemicals (EEA/HSR/20/003). She is currently leading an Agence Française de Développement (AFD)-funded project that addresses the impact of marine debris on biodiversity and well-being in Indonesian seas and coasts (FAPS/CLN/CZZ3375-01), and research on exploring the synergistic relationship between food, energy, and water systems alongside plastics, shedding light on tackling plastic pollution in local contexts and designing effective interventions (BA/Leverhulme/SRG2324\241335). Additionally, she is involved in training future leaders in sustainable plastics research through the Circular Plastics Economy Network (CPEN), co-led by the Asian Institute of Technology (UK-ISPF/NGR1/1954). As co-director of the Plastics in Indonesian Societies (PISCES) partnership (NE/V006428/1), she leads systems analysis to identify solutions that drive sustainable innovation.

With over a decade of experience, she has successfully led numerous interdisciplinary and industrial projects, securing significant funding to advance sustainability and circularity. Her innovative work includes evaluating the multidimensional impacts of business electronics repair models to enhance the circularity of electronic products through lifecycle passports and sustainability scorecards (KTP/012916), as well as assessing the lifecycle of homeware made entirely from recycled plastic waste (ReBorn).

In her active role in policy development, Iacovidou is a Chartered member of both the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment and the Chartered Institution of Waste Management. She also serves on the British Plastics Federation Sustainability Group and holds advisory positions with several prominent organizations, including DEFRA, INRAE, and the UK Environment Agency. A trained chemist with expertise in environmental engineering, management, and policy, Dr Iacovidou earned her PhD in Environmental Management and Policy Research from Imperial College London.

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Dr Theodoros Giakoumis is an environmental scientist with background in natural resources management, environmental technology and policy. His research focuses on applying systems thinking to address complex environmental problems, formulating evidence-based methodologies to enhance decision-making and facilitate the effective implementation of environmental policies.

Dr Theo Giakoumis current research investigates drivers and the risks associated with on receiving waters and the antimicrobial resistance burden of pharmaceutical waste in India (). Since 2018 he has been working closely with Anglian Water's Innovation Team and has delivered three consulting projects. From 2015 to 2019, he participated in the EU-funded GLOBAQUA project, examining how current water management practices and policies could be improved by considering the interaction of multiple stressors. His work contributed to recommendations for improving the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), enabling Integrated River Basin Management, and strengthening the institutional capacity of Member States to meet WFD objectives and improve freshwater quality ().

His work is widely cited in water policy documents and technical reports by the European Union, European Commission, European Environment Agency, Environment Agencies (in UK and internationally), and the United Nations. Dr Giakoumis has advised many NGOs (e.g., Blueprint for Water, RSPB England, Environmental Law Foundation) and media outlets (e.g. BBC News, Channel 4 Dispatches) on matters related to water policy and pollution. He serves as a reviewer for various peer-reviewed journals and reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, sits on the Editorial Board of Environmental Policy and Governance, and is the Guest Editor for a 2024 Special Issue of the journal Sustainability titled "".

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About us

Objectives:

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