Thomas Walmsley
Thomas Walmsley has been employed in a temporary position as a laboratory technician at the Inorganic Department of Environmental Chemistry and Health Effects until January 2025. He has a master's degree in Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology (MSENVITOX) from NTNU where he through his master's thesis "Studies of environmental footprint in Brøggerdalen after rocket launching in Ny-Ålesund" performed sampling, retention and chemical analysis of trace elements and PCBs in sediment.
He has instrument responsibility for EC/OC where he analyses carbon-containing aerosols in connection with the monitoring project and other projects. He also assists the Heavy Metal Group with the retention of samples for ICP-MS.
Jean Froment
Jean Froment is a researcher at the climate and research institute NILU.
Jean has conducted his PhD. at the Norwegian institute of Water Research (NIVA) and University of Oslo (UiO) focusing on Effect-Directed analysis (EDA). His post-doctoral experiences at the UFZ (Leipzig, Germany) and Stockholm University (Sweden) focused on performing nontarget analysis of biological and environmental samples.
Jean’s main research interests include the screening of environmental samples (particulate matter, water…) by chromatography (LC, or GC) coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometers (HRMS). Together with in vitro bioassays, nontarget analysis allows the detection of unexpected toxicants in the environment.
Jean is also passionate about the use of open-source software for the data processing of HRMS data and in silico tools to reveal the chemical composition and structure of unknown features.
William Hartz
Dr. William Hartz is a scientist in the Department of Environmental Chemistry and Health Effects at NILU. He previously completed his PhD at the University of Oxford and University Centre in Svalbard and currently holds an external position at Örebro University in Sweden.
Main research interests:
- Fate of contaminants in glaciers and Arctic environments, including a particular focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Mechanisms for long-range atmospheric transport of contaminants with a particular focus on polar environments
- Observations from snow and ice cores to understand pollution, climate and glacier dynamics
In recent years, his research has focused on the sources and processes of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the snow and ice on Svalbard. This work has led to the discovery of new Arctic contaminants, observation of high seasonality in PFAS deposition in the Arctic and new understandings about the atmospheric sources of PFAS to the Arctic using an ice core as a record of historical atmospheric deposition.
William is also part of NILU’s atmospheric monitoring team for organic contaminants, using data from several NILU stations such as the Zeppelin Observatory on Svalbard (79°N). Every year they publish a report into the levels of >250 organic contaminants in urban, rural and Arctic air in Norway and Svalbard.
William is available for contact to discuss industry solutions and monitoring for PFAS and other fluorinated contaminants.
Cleo Lisa Davie-Martin
Dr. Cleo Davie-Martin works as a scientist at NILU, posted in Tromsø, Norway.
She has a PhD in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry from the University of Otago, which focused on volatilization processes affecting the local- and global-scale distribution of semi-volatile organic contaminants, including pesticides and brominated flame retardants.
Her subsequent work has focused on the bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in contaminated soils, as well as biogenic emissions of volatile organic compounds from Arctic tundra/permafrost and marine ecosystems.
Cleo has a strong background in analytical method development and quantification across a range of contaminant classes and environmental matrices. She has worked extensively with thermal desorption, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry techniques.
At NILU, Cleo is involved with several environmental monitoring projects, as well as digitalization and database-related development and reporting.
Natascha Schmidt
Dr. Natascha Schmidt is a senior scientist at NILU in Tromsø, Norway.
She studied terrestrial and marine ecology and did her PhD in environmental chemistry at the Aix-Marseille University in Southern France. There she worked on the occurrence, transport and fate of microplastics and associated organic contaminants in the marine environment.
Dr. Schmidt is an expert in microplastic research, with a current focus on atmospheric measurements. She is also working on understanding the dynamics of tire wear particles and associated organic contaminants in the environment. Disseminating scientific knowledge to the public, stakeholders and governmental representatives and among the scientific community is one of her priorities.
