Air pollution is the greatest environmental risk to human health, affecting almost every system in the body and at every stage of life. It also damages ecosystems and leads to biodiversity loss. Science has played a central role in demonstrating the need for action and in developing air quality standards and policies to deliver progress. In the UK there are well-established mechanisms for providing science advice for policy, including Chief Scientific Advisers in each government department, and a network of science advisory councils and expert groups.

I have worked at the science policy interface for the past 14 years. Through the insights provided from bridging the academic and policy communities I have facilitated a transformation in how the Defra air pollution team approaches interactions with both the research community and research funders, resulting in better access to and uptake of science evidence and expertise. I also worked with the AQEG to transition its mode of operation from providing large authoritative reviews of science to providing more accessible, responsive, and agile policy advice. In this seminar I will provide insights from my experience, including what enabled my work to have impact, how transformations came about, and some examples of the opportunities for policy impact that arose. I will also present some examples of the policy-informed research carried out by my group which has arisen from my interactions with policy makers.