Meet the AQMx Technical Advisory Group (TAG)

Beatriz Cardenas is the Air Quality Director at WRI Mexico and co-leads WRI’s global air quality efforts. She is an expert in air pollution science and policy, with extensive experience in developing strategies for clean air. She was formerly General Director of Air Quality Management for Mexico City and led air research at the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change. She has worked with the Megalopolis Environmental Commission and Centro Mario Molina. Beatriz holds a PhD and MS in Environmental Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she was a Fulbright-García Robles scholar. She is a Biochemical Engineer from the Autonomous Metropolitan University and has been a national research candidate and expert delegate to IPCC, CCAC, and international conventions. Her work spans biological air pollution processes to environmental diplomacy and science-policy engagement. 

Dr. R Subramanian is Sector Head for Air Quality at CSTEP and Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon and has held research positions at the University of Illinois, RTI International, and Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute. He is also a Visiting Researcher at OSU-Efluve/CNRS (France) and Research Fellow at Kigali Collaborative Research Centre (Rwanda). Dr. Subramanian’s expertise lies in air pollution characterization and source apportionment through measurements and modelling, using a variety of research-grade and low-cost instruments and tools. He has worked internationally across academia and research institutions to advance air quality monitoring and data-driven policy development.  

Charbel Afif is a professor at Saint Joseph University in Lebanon where he is the chairperson of the chemistry department, technical director of the Center for Analysis and Research, and the leader of the “Emissions, Measurements, and Modeling of the Atmosphere” (EMMA) research group. He is also adjunct professor at the Cyprus Institute. Charbel’ main expertise is emissions of trace gases and aerosols, their chemical characterization for their source apportionment, and the management of their impacts. He obtained his MSc and PhD in Atmospheric Chemistry from Paris 12 University in France. Charbel participated in many international field campaigns and was the Principal Investigator of projects mainly focused on the East Mediterranean and Middle East region. He has more than 45 publications in international peer-reviewed journals and many international conferences. 

Albert Presto is a research professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and the director of the Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies (CAPS). He is also a Research Fellow at the Kigali Collaborative Research Center (Rwanda). His research focuses on human exposures to air pollution, how those exposures impact people’s health, and how exposures will change with future changes to public policy and the energy mix both in the U.S. and globally. He has specific expertise in mobile sampling to understand spatial patterns in urban air pollution, quantification of emissions of methane and air pollutants from the oil and gas industry, and the development and deployment of low-cost air pollutant sensors and techniques.

Dr. Pallavi Pant is an environmental health scientist with a focus on air pollution and health, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. As Head of Global Initiatives at the Health Effects Institute (HEI), she leads efforts on synthesis and generation of evidence, strengthening capacity, and science communication around air quality and health. Her work bridges the science-policy pathways, helping connect rigorous science with solutions for cleaner air. She serves on the editorial board of PLOS Global Public Health, chairs the Governing Board of OpenAQ and co-facilitates the Africa Clean Air Network. Dr. Pant has a Ph.D. in Environmental Health from the University of Birmingham, UK, and a Master’s in Environmental Sciences from the TERI School of Advanced Studies, India.

Professor Lisa Emberson is an environmental pollution biologist at the University of York with over 20 years’ experience studying air pollution impacts on crops, forests, and ecosystems. She developed the DO3SE model, used globally to estimate ozone uptake and ecosystem damage. She has contributed to UNECE CLRTAP policy development and the WMO/UNEP SLCP assessment. Lisa was the Centre Director of the Stockholm Environment Institute at York (2012–2019) and previously held leadership roles across SEI. She holds a PhD in Pollution Biology from Imperial College London and a BSc in Environmental Biology from Manchester University. Her research bridges physical, policy, and socioeconomic dimensions of air quality. 

Charlie Heaps is a Senior Scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute US Center and developer of LEAP, the Low Emissions Analysis Platform. From 2006 through 2014, he was also US Center Director, followed by serving as Energy Modeling Program Director 2015 to 2024. Along with developing LEAP, Charlie works around the world conducting workshops, undertaking studies, and providing training and assistance to LEAP users. Charlie has a degree in energy studies from Swansea University in Wales and a PhD in environmental technology from the Imperial College London.

Glynda Bathan-Baterina is Deputy Executive Director of Clean Air Asia and a lawyer with 20 years of experience in air quality and sustainable transport policy. She helped draft the Philippine Clean Air Act and led clean fuels and vehicles programs across Asia, notably in Vietnam and the Philippines. Glynda has advised Philippine lawmakers and contributed to key policy reforms on vehicle standards and emissions. She holds a Master’s in Environmental Management from Ateneo de Manila University and the University of San Francisco, and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines. She was recognized by TUMI as a Remarkable Woman in Transport. 

Desmond Appiah is a legal and policy expert with 21 years of experience in sustainability across Africa, Europe, and the U.S, currently acting as Ghana Country Lead for the Clean Air Fund. He was Programme Manager for African Cities for Clean Air at C40 and previously served as Chief Resilience and Sustainability Advisor to the Mayor of Accra. He led urban programs on air quality, climate, and disaster resilience. Desmond holds an MS in Environmental Protection & Safety Management from St. Joseph’s University (USA), an MSc in Energy and Sustainable Development from De Montfort University (UK), and a BA from the University of Ghana, along with various postgraduate certifications. His expertise spans policy design, urban governance, and sustainability strategy. 

Dr. Daniel M. Westervelt is an Associate Research Professor at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) of Columbia University in the City of New York. Dr. Westervelt is also an affiliate faculty member of the Columbia University Data Science Institute, an affiliated scientist with NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and an air pollution advisor to the US State Department. He is also a Columbia University Climate and Life Fellow. He was awarded the 2024-2025 Faculty Mentorship Award for Columbia University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. His current research spans climate change and atmospheric chemistry and physics using models, advanced in-situ instrumentation, and remote sensing, with an emphasis on applications in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Prior to his faculty position at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, he worked as an Associate Research Scientist at LDEO, and as a Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP) postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University. He completed his PhD degree in May 2013 in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.