All of our researchers are DBS-checked and fully trained before undertaking any school visits.
Dr Helen E WoodProject Manager - London
Helen is the Project Manager for the London arm of CHILL. Her background is in respiratory and exercise physiology and she’s also worked in research in the area of cancer epidemiology. Helen completed her degree and PhD at the University of Oxford, before undertaking research positions at The Office for National Statistics, The Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas, King’s College London and Queen Mary University of London. Helen coordinated the EXHALE study – the predecessor to CHILL – for five years, and as a London resident and parent has developed a keen interest in the health effects of air pollution. Helen’s claim to fame is that she came up with the acronym CHILL. In her spare time Helen likes to run and knit, but not at the same time.
Dr Rosamund DovePostdoctoral Researcher
Ros is a postdoctoral researcher at Queen Mary University of London and leads the Cognition and Mental Health sub-study. She holds a fellowship from the NIHR School for Primary Care Research.
Jessica Mitchell, MSc Research Assistant
Jess is a researcher at Queen Mary University of London and co-leads the Health Records sub-study. She recently graduated from University College London with a Masters in Paediatrics and Child Health: Global Health where she investigated the mental health impacts of poor housing environments on children and young people. She has a background in neuroscience and psychology and experience working with children in research and education settings. She is passionate about understanding how our physical environment affects children's health and development. In her free time, Jess enjoys figure skating, yoga, and spending time exploring the many greenspaces in and around London.
Dr Hajar HajmohammadiSenior Data Analyst
Hajar is the senior data analyst for the CHILL study. She is responsible for data extraction from medical information systems, data management and analysis, statistical modelling and presenting the analysis and findings to the senior management team. She was awarded two research grants from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in May 2021 and June 2022. She is the Principle Investigator for these projects, which aim to understand the relationship between air pollution exposures and health. Additionally, she is a Co-Investigator on a larger project that is funded by the Health Effects Institute (HEI) and focuses on understanding the impact of non-tailpipe vehicle emissions on human health. Her plan for future research is to define multidisciplinary projects in the areas of Transport, Environment and Public health.
Dr Harpal KalsiResearch Fellow
Dr Harpal Kalsi is a Research Fellow who has worked across some of the top teaching hospitals in London including the world-renowned Royal Brompton where he trained as a Respiratory Physiologist. His PhD was conducted in respiratory physiology where he conducted research investigating how drugs are absorbed in the lungs. He has 19 years experience of working with a diverse range of patients and children of all ages (NHS and private sector). Harpal brings a wealth of skills to the CHILL study, conducting research with children in 28 Primary schools in central London when assessing the original Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in 2008.
Dr Iva Tsocheva is the project manager for Luton with an established interest in children and adolescent health. She has a PhD in developmental psychopathology and her experience includes a wide variety of public health projects. She has worked on studies investigating nutrition, affective disorders, physical activity, addiction, sport and well-being, social care, gambling behaviour, ageing and mental health.
Dr Jasmine ChavdaResearcher
Jasmine Chavda is a researcher at the University of Bedfordshire. Jasmine was a secondary school teacher for a number of years. She has a background in teaching and psychology, and has recently completed her masters in Health Psychology. Jasmine enjoys working with children and also has a love of animals!
Jason LeLearning & Outreach Officer
Jason Le is a science communicator with the CHILL study. He has a background in designing, and enjoys engaging children in creative, innovative approaches to solving the biggest challenges in science. Jason enjoys being part of a team that makes science accessible to a range of people across London and show it is not always done in labs. Science is everywhere you look, and he is excited to share it with the community.
Dr James ScalesPostdoctoral Researcher
James is now leading the IONA study site testing. His background is in muscle function and has led research exploring injury rates in soldiers in the UK and foreign militaries. James has worked on CHILL since the study started and has a particular interest in physical activity monitoring. Alongside working on CHILL, James leads The Big Science Question 2020, a citizen science project that facilitates children taking air pollution and health measurements in their own schools. When not working on CHILL James plays as much tennis as he can and still coaches a number of very talented junior tennis players in central London.
Luke is now pursuing a PhD at Kings College London. He recently graduated from Queen Mary University of London with a BSc in Psychology and has gained experience conducting systematic reviews in air pollution, mental health and prenatal anxiety during his degree. Luke believes that every child should be provided with a safe environment in which they can flourish. As a result, he is particularly interested in how air pollution can impact cognitive function, mental health, and life-course outcomes for young children. In his spare time, Luke enjoys discovering unique cafés and bookshops in London.
Jessica is a science communicator who has previously worked at Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium delivering a variety of shows and workshops to school groups and to the wider public, and who now works with the Centre of the Cell team. She has a Masters in Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh and a passion for engaging the public with science both in her professional and personal time. She has developed a workshop focusing on how the brain works and on the influence that pollution may have on it, which is being delivered to the classes of the students involved in the study to help them understand the project that they are a part of. The workshop has been designed to be fun, inspiring, and accessible for all students, as Jessica believes strongly that there should be no barrier between any child and a love of science.