Professor Jamie Lead is endowed professor and Director of the SmartState Center for Environmental Nanoscience and Risk. His research aims at understanding nanoscale phenomena in the environment and he is interested in investigating natural nanomaterials, manufactured nanomaterials and their interactions. Manufactured nanomaterials are important emerging pollutants, whose novel properties and high production volumes may result in novel environmental health problems and challenges. These risks to the environment are currently poorly understood and this lack of understanding may reduce the sustainability and safety of a huge and highly beneficial industry. These nanomaterials have important uses which may be exploited for the benefit of environmental and human health and these applications are being studied.
Professor Lead is also Honorary Professor and Former Founding Director of the Facility for Environmental Nanoscience Analysis and Characterization, University of Birmingham, UK and Editor in Chief of the journal NanoImpact. He has published approximately 170 papers, edited 5 books and holds 3 patents.