Employee

Torleif Weydahl is a senior scientist in the Department of Urban Environment and Industry and has worked at NILU since 2017. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering specializing in energy and process technology and has a doctorate from the University of Trondheim (NTNU) in modeling of turbulent mixing and reactions. 

At NILU, Torleif primarily works on air quality (AQ) assessments related to requirements within Norwegian regulation and in emission permits for Norwegian municipalities and industrial companies. He conducts emission and dispersion calculations for several source sectors, including analyses and the preparation of reports and documentation. He has developed AQ assessment and action plans for several Norwegian municipalities and has led the development of NERVE, an emission model for road traffic. 

Torleif contributes to the European Environment Agency's (EEA) topic centers, focusing on reporting emissions from the industrial sector in EU and EEA member countries. He is also an experienced project manager. 

Before starting at NILU, Torleif gained experience in carbon capture and storage research from SINTEF in Trondheim and in consultancy related to fire and safety at Lloyd's Register. 

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Employee

Dr. Karl Espen Yttri is a senior scientist at NILU with a Ph.D. in aerosol science. He has extensive expertise in atmospheric aerosols and their chemical composition across diverse environments, ranging from urban areas to the pristine Arctic and Antarctic.

His primary focus is on carbonaceous aerosols, using both on-line and off-line methodologies for the source apportionment of anthropogenic and natural aerosol sources. This includes developing analytical methods for carbonaceous aerosol, including source-specific organic tracers.

As a member of the Chemical Coordinating Centre of the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) at NILU, he contributes to research on the long-range atmospheric transport of aerosol particles.

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Dr. Alexandra Misci Hudecova is a research scientist at NILU in the department of Environmental Chemistry and Health Effects with expertise in genetic toxicology, environmental health, and cellular biology. In addition to her academic research, Alexandra has professional experience in Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), working as a Quality Assurance (QA) manager. At NILU’s Health Effects Laboratory, which operates under GLP certification, she contributes to maintaining regulatory compliance, ensuring data integrity, and upholding rigorous laboratory quality standards. This experience has reinforced her commitment to high-quality, reproducible scientific research aligned with international regulatory frameworks. Alexandra is also trained in Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles, further supporting her commitment to responsible innovation and environmentally conscious research.

Alexandra earned her PhD studying the effects of Gentiana asclepiadea (willow gentian) extracts and silver nanoparticles on DNA damage/repair, adaptive responses, oxidative stress, antioxidant activity, and related cellular mechanisms in mammalian and human cells. Using a range of in vitro methods, she investigated oxidative DNA damage and cellular defense mechanisms, advancing knowledge on how natural compounds and nanomaterials interact with genomic stability and cellular defense systems.

Prior to joining NILU, Alexandra was a postdoctoral researcher at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in Oslo. Her work focused on the impact of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on mice, including gene expression and behavioral studies. She explored neurodevelopmental and epigenetic consequences of maternal exposure to POPs, providing insights into strain-specific responses and maternal exposure outcomes with implications for environmental risk assessment.

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Dr. Gabriela Sousa Santos did her graduate studies in Environmental Engineering in the University of Aveiro, Portugal. While studying the ways pollution is transported and transformed in the environment, she got curious on how these pollutants affect human health. Thus, she continued studying Toxicology in her post-graduation while working in Environmental Impact Assessment Studies.

She did her PhD in atmospheric chemistry at Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg. It was here that she started using numerical modelling in global scales to analyze the role of naturally emitted halogen compounds on the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere. She then started also simulating salt particles and continued into secondary organic aerosols and their impact on the global radiation budget, work she continued in ETH, Zurich.

At NILU, she has moved into modelling at the local scale, which leads her to investigate the specificities and challenges in creating simulations at this scale of the transport of pollution.

Her current interests are in investigating which policy options will lead to healthier, more comfortable cities for higher quality of life and more sustainability globally. Cities have the characteristic of high population concentration which creates higher exposition to pollution and enhanced risk to climate change, however it also creates opportunities for higher efficiency systems in the use of resources.

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Sonja Grossberndt works as scientist at the Environmental Impacts and Sustainability department.

Grossberndt’s work focuses on user engagement, citizen science and science communication. She works also as project administrator in a number of national and international research projects.

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Dr. Britt Ann K. Høiskar holds the position of Research Director in the Department for Urban Environment and Industry at NILU. She earned her doctoral degree in physics from the University of Oslo in 1997, with a research focus on measurement of the ozone layer and ozone-depleting substances in the stratosphere from ground-based measurements.

During the period from 1997 to 2007, Høiskar served as a senior researcher at NILU. Her responsibilities included overseeing the operation and maintenance of the national system for monitoring the ozone layer and natural ultraviolet radiation (2001-2004). She was also involved in the development and management of an internet solution for presenting, quality control, and analysis of air quality data from the measurement network for air quality in Norwegian cities (2003-2006).

From 2008 to 2013, Høiskar held the position of Head of the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association, where she was responsible for the organization’s policies and projects related to outdoor air pollution and indoor air quality.

Since January 2014, Høiskar has been a senior researcher in the Urban and Industrial Department at NILU. In June 2017, she assumed the role of Research Director and department leader. Høiskar has led and participated in air quality assessments for several Norwegian cities. Furthermore, she is and has been involved in various research projects related to the indoor environment. She has been the chairman/board member of Norsk Innemiljøorganisasjon, which represents the Norwegian branch of ‘The International Society for Indoor Air Quality and Climate’ (www.isiaq.org). since 2009.

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Dr. Henrik Grythe serves as a senior researcher at NILU posted at Kjeller, Norway.

His Msc. in meteorology is from the University of Oslo and his PhD is in atmospheric physics from Stockholm University. There he worked with quantifying emission sources, and the dispersion and removal of both natural and anthropogenic aerosol particles as well as short-lived pollutants.

He specializes in climate and air pollution relevant problems where a high temporal and spatial resolution is required, working with a broad range of methods and data sources.

He has a long experience working with models and model development for several atmospheric and emission models and has a leading role in the development of both new and existing methods and numerical models.

He actively disseminates scientific knowledge through various media channels to the public, engages in communication with government and stakeholders, and participates in scientific conferences. His h-index is 17, with a total of 2,500 citations (Google Scholar).

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Dr. Alena Bartonova’s core research area is environmental exposure assessment. Her work rests on high levels of interdisciplinary collaboration and often supports science use for policies. She is interested in environmental/air quality assessment methods combining results from monitoring and diverse measurement technologies (including low-cost sensors) with models, resulting in a basis for health impact assessment, and in development of methods for practical use.

Alena has a MSc and a RNDr degree in Probability and Mathematical Statistics from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, CZ, and PhD in Environmental Sciences from the Faculty of Science of the same University. She started at NILU as a post doc 1987-1990, when she was studying environmental epidemiology methods and the relationship between air pollution and material damage.

Alena has served in several positions of trust nationally and internationally, including as in expert groups within the fifth and seventh Framework Programs for research of the EU, and as a member of SCHER 2013-2016. She has coordinated or co-coordinated several EU-co-funded research and innovation projects. Alena serves as Research Director - coordinator for EU research and Manager, European Topic Center for human health and environment.

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Assigned roles and positions at NILU Centre for Atmospheric Data

• Key developer of EBAS core database
• Key developer of EVDC core database

Responsibility

• Technical lead and coordinator of operation of EBAS core database
  • Keep overview of technical aspects of the EBAS database (development, maintenance, curation routines, automatic QA)
  • Responsible for implementation and monitoring of NRT data flow
• EBAS data curation and QAQC responsible for selected components
• Technical lead and coordinator of operation of EVDC core database
  • Keep overview of technical aspects of the EVDC database (development, maintenance, curation routines, automatic QA)

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Employee

Dr. (Mr.) Philipp Schneider is a senior research scientist at NILU.

He received his PhD in 2008 from the University of California-Santa Barbara focusing on satellite remote sensing and spatial data analysis. Subsequently he held a position as postdoctoral research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology.

Philipp has extensive experience in the application of satellite remote sensing techniques for mapping and monitoring the environment. His current research focuses primarily on the use of satellite remote sensing data for applications in atmospheric composition and air quality.

Previously he has worked on multiple projects related to exploitation and validation of satellite-based land and lake surface temperature. In addition, he works on developing methods and tools to carry out geostatistical data fusion and data assimilation for combining air quality observations with model data to improve urban- and regional-scale mapping of air quality.

He acts as a reviewer for multiple scientific publications related to satellite remote sensing, air quality, and the environment. He has given over 200 presentations at international scientific conferences and workshops and has authored dozens of technical reports.

Philipp has been appointed a member of the Research Council of Norway National Reference Group for Horizon Europe Cluster 4 on Digital, industry and space. He is author of more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, with over 6000 citations and an h-index of 30.

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Dr. Tore Flatlandsmo Berglen is a senior researcher at the Department of Urban Environment and Industry. He received his PhD in Geosciences at the University of Oslo in 2006 with a thesis on the sulphur cycle in the atmosphere, with a particular focus on natural and anthropogenic emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and sulphate particles.

Tore has worked at NILU since 2008 and leads various industrial projects concerning monitoring of air quality close to industrial facilities, dispersion calculations and CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage).

For a number of years, he was responsible for the monitoring project in the border areas with Russia. Air quality in the border areas was strongly affected by emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and heav metals (Nnickel, copper, cobalt and arsenic) from Russian smelters in Nikel and Zapolyarny. The smelter in Nikel was shut down in December 2020 and there was an upgrade of the briquetting plant in Zapolyarny. Emissions fell sharply, and thus the air quality in the border areas has also improved. Tore also has other projects in Eastern Finnmark, including studies of the environmental impact of war remnants, moss sampling and analysis, and dioxins around Kirkenes.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is becoming an increasingly important field in terms of transition and the path towards a zero-emission society. Amines are a well proven technology for capturing CO2, but there have been concerns about the release of amines and degradation products from amines, especially nitrosamines and nitramines. NILU has many projects to study emissions from CCS facilities and environmental impact.

Tore also works with dispersion calculations from industrial companies and influence on a local and regional scale. These are projects for both the oil and gas industry and metal industry.

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With over 15 years of experience at NILU, senior scientist Sabine Eckhardt has worked with atmospheric transport modeling since 2006. Her expertise includes the development of the FLEXPART model, widely used to study the transport and dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere.

Sabine's research primarily focuses on the Arctic, investigating the effects of black carbon and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and their interactions with climate change. She is studying the deposition of aerosols and their long-term impact on Arctic environments, utilizing data from sources such as ice cores. Additionally, she collaborates with the meteorological institute, forecasting the dispersion of volcanic ash in the event of eruptions.

Her work also extends to the Global Methane Pledge, where she leads a project in the AMAP (Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme) framework, addressing the impact of methane on climate change. Sabine co-leads the AMAP expert group on short-lived climate forcers, striving to mitigate the influence of pollutants that accelerate climate warming.

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Dr. Cristina Guerreiro is Research Director for Environmental Impacts and Sustainability at NILU, focusing on research and innovation of sustainable and circular solutions for products and systems across different economic sectors.

Guerreiro has a PhD in Chemistry and a MSc in Environmental Engineering. She has more than 25 years of experience in coordinating international and national research and policy support projects in the following areas: air quality, climate change mitigation, environment & health, circular economy, institutional building and stakeholder involvement, and science communication.

She is the coordinator of the EU research and innovation project Circular Economy Resource Information System (CE-RISE). She has led NILU’s work for the European Environmental Agency (EEA) since 2008 and is the Deputy manager of the European Topic Centre on Human health and the environment (ETC HE). She was Coordinating Lead Author of the UN-Environment’s 6th Global Environment Outlook (GEO6) report, as well as chairperson of the CEN/TC264/WG43.

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Kjetil Tørseth received his Dr Scient  degree at NTNU-Trondheim, and has worked at NILU since 1992.Since 1999 he has served as department head/research director.

His expertize includes measurements and data management and assessment of precipitation chemistry, reactive gases, aerosols and climate forcers, and their associated effects on ecosystems, health and climate.

He is engaged in a wide range of programs addressing assessments of air pollution on regional and global scales, including EMEP (head the EMEP Chemical Coordinating Centre), WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW Country contact of Norway, member to the Scientific Advisory Group on Reactive Gases, responsible for the two GAW World Data Centers on Aerosols (GAW-WDCA) and Reactive Gases (GAW-WDCRG). He is also engaged in several research infrastructure activities like ICOS, ACTRIS and SIOS. He has a broad experience from many international research and capacity building projects.

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Dr. Claudia Hak is a senior scientist in the Department for Urban Environment and Industry at NILU. She obtained her PhD in physics at the University of Karlsruhe in 2006 with a focus on the measurement of formaldehyde and other compounds involved in photooxidation processes that occur in polluted air around cities. 

Claudia has been working at NILU since 2009. She is a measurement expert and leads specially designed measurement projects with a focus on the effect of emissions from industry, traffic and other pollution sources on ambient air. 

Claudia is also interested in the composition of urban air and the pollution sources in cities and in this context studies advanced particle measurements (based on the composition of the particles) taken in Oslo. She has contributed to the establishment of the Urban Observatory in Oslo, which has a strong focus on particle characterization and the health effects of particles. Another area of work is within the National Reference Laboratory for Air Quality Measurements, where she guides measurement network owners with regard to the choice of reference measurement location. She is also interested in evaluating the differences between the accepted reference and equivalent measurement methods for particulate matter. 

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Employee

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Dr. Yvan Orsolini joined NILU in March 1998 as a senior researcher posted at Kjeller, Norway. 

He earned his MSc. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Illinois (Urbana, USA) and his PhD is in geophysics from the University of Washington (Seattle, USA). He has worked with dynamics, chemistry and remote sensing of the middle atmosphere and, in particular, with the Earth’s ozone layers and the solar radiative and particle impacts on the atmosphere. 

Another area of research is cryosphere-atmosphere interaction, in particular the role of snow and sea ice in the climate system and in seasonal predictions. 

He has a long experience working with general circulation models, either atmosphere-only or coupled ocean-atmosphere models, including whole-atmosphere models (such as WACCM) which extends into the lower thermosphere, as well with seasonal prediction systems. He has also contributed to the analysis of numerous satellite remote sensing datasets (UARS, SABER, ENVISAT, MLS, SOFIE,…), and atmospheric re-analyses regarding dynamics or composition. 

He has coordinated one European project and several Norwegian Research Council projects on behalf of NILU, while participating to numerous other projects. He was affiliated part-time (20%) with University of Bergen (2010-2020) and with NTNU (2020-2023). 

His h-index is 40, with over 5000 citations (Google Scholar). 

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Employee

Dr Knut Breivik works as a senior scientist at NILU and as an adjunct professor in environmental chemistry at the University of Oslo.

His research is motivated by the need to protect environmental and human health from harmful organic contaminants. This calls for a better understanding of relationships between sources and exposure.

Knut Breivik’s main research activities are (i) to develop, evaluate and apply mathematical models to understand and predict production-exposure relationships for these chemicals, (ii) emission inventories, and (iii) long-range transport of harmful chemicals across societies and ecosystems.

Most of his research projects aim to provide environmental authorities as well as international conventions and programs (e.g. EMEP, UNEP and AMAP) with scientific support in their efforts to reduce further environmental and human exposure of these harmful substances.

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Ellen Katrin Enge completed her MSc degree in analytical chemistry at the University of Tromsø, with her master's thesis carried out at NILU in Tromsø in the period 1995–1997. After graduating, she was employed at NILU, first at the laboratory in Tromsø, and from 2001 at the laboratory at Kjeller.

Throughout her time at the department, Ellen Katrin has had several key roles, including Project Manager and Head of the section for test preparation. The section currently consists of 14 employees, including technicians, engineers and researchers. She also has a key role in the department's accredited laboratory activities.