Douglas Booker

I am a geographer and entrepreneur, with a focus on indoor air quality and environmental justice. My research interests lie in diverse aspects of indoor air quality (IAQ), usually involving a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. These can be broadly categorised into two themes: IAQ and environmental justice, and IAQ and energy. I am the principal investigator for the HESTIA Network which is co-developing a health-equity-centred engineering approach to home design and retrofit, to maximise human and environmental health co-benefits and reduce health inequalities. I am also a co-investigator in several other projects looking at the health, environmental, and justice co-benefits of net zero transitions in homes and schools.

Alongside my Lectureship in Indoor Air, I run NAQTS, a Lancaster Environment Centre collocated business that develops tools and technologies to provide holistic indoor air quality information. In this role I have collaborated on and led multiple industry-academic research projects and partnerships, with universities, other businesses, trade associations, public health professionals, and the general public. I am also a UKRI Regional Clean Air Champion as part of the SPF Clean Air Programme, a £42.5m investment supporting research and innovation. In this role I help to bring together research across engineering, atmospheric, medical, and social science to develop practical and fair solutions for air quality challenges.