Biography
Dr Nicole Cowell is a Lecturer in Urban Pollution in the Department of Geography at King’s College London, leading research at the nexus of air pollution, sensor technology, and environmental policy. Her expertise spans indoor and ambient air quality, environmental monitoring networks, urban sustainability, and the intersection between technology, policy and society.
Prior to joining the faculty at King’s, Nicole completed her PhD at the University of Birmingham and was the Hoffmann Fellow in Clean Air at Imperial College London and the World Economic Forum. Here she embedded clean air science into the global agenda, including contributing to the WEF Global Risks Report in 2025. She regularly engages with policy leaders and stakeholders at local and global scales to translate urban sustainability science into tangible, real-world outcomes.
Nicole serves as Co-Chair of the Allin Wayra community under the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) project, co-designing international frameworks for low-cost sensor networks and building a global community of scientists working to enhance environmental monitoring. She also contributes to the Air Quality Communications Network. Across all her work, Nicole holds a strong focus on using data-driven evidence to inform decision-making that achieves co-beneficial outcomes for climate, health, and urban equity.
Research
- Air Pollution
- Environmental Policy
- Sensor networks
- Urban environments
Nicole's research explores the nexus of air pollution, sensor technology, and environmental policy. Her projects include investigations into indoor and ambient air pollution concentrations and exposures, environmental monitoring technologies including sensors and digital twins, urban sustainability, climate health interactions, environmental policy analysis and policy/community engagement practices.
Teaching
Undergraduate
- 4SSG1008 Geography Tutorials Critical Thinking & Techniques
- 4SSG1016 Geography in Action
- 5SSG2064 Global Environment Issues: Science and Solutions
Postgraduate
- 7SSGN223 Environmental Science for Sustainability
Expertise and Public Engagement
- Co-chair of Allin Wayra, an IGAC activity