GAPS 2024-25 Leadership Team

Dr. Al Gill, FRGS
Expedition Leader

Former theoretical physicist and army reservist turned consultant working in venture capital with clients in North America, the MENA, Japan and across Europe. With no completely unknown places left on earth, his quest for undiscovered country takes the form of scientific exploration. He led the HLR 2022 expedition which used a similar sampling technique. Started climbing as a student and first ventured into the Alps with the Club Alpin Suisse while working in Geneva.

Specialist Skills: "My specialist skill is not being a specialist. I know a little mountaineering, some science, can manage and finance projects and have yet to kill myself on skis so can support all members of the team."

Expedition Experience: Led HLR 2022

Hobbies: Riding, fencing, sailing, sometime blower of trumpets

Motivation: "There are precious few dragons in the twenty first century."

Follow: algill9

Dr. Dušan Materić, FRGS
Scientific Lead

Dr Materić did his PhD at the UK's Open University working on the measurement of volatile organic compounds using a technique called Proton Transfer Reaction – Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS). During his postdoctoral career, he developed novel applications of this technique which allowed us to accurately measure the type and quantity of microplastics in high alpine snows for the first time. He now leads his own research team dedicated to the study of nanoplastics, microplastics and similar chemistry at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research.

Specialist Skills: Mass spectroscopy (TD-PTR-MS) expert who developed a novel way to measure nano- and microplastics in alpine snows which is over 100X more sensitive than conventional methods.

Expedition Experience: HLR 2022

Hobbies: Hiking, sailing and playing guitar but mostly being a parent!

Motivation: "Intact nature is beautiful - intact nature does not exist."

Follow: @DusanMateric

Robin Milner
Technical Lead

Robin was "in IT" when his work took him to Madrid in 2002. He's still there 20 years later, although now teaches high-school maths and physics. Having started winter walking with Al in the 1990s, these days he's more often found exploring the stunning mountains of the Spanish national parks. Apart from a talent for telling Al when he's being an idiot, years of motorcycle touring and tinkering with all things automotive have given him an uncanny knack for optimising kit and equipment.

Specialist Skills: Broad scientific and technical background. Expert in ensuring our equipment is as light and small as possible.

Expedition Experience: HLR 2022, Overland Motorcycle Touring

Hobbies: Mountain biking, snowboarding, sailing, running, riding, motorcycle touring.

Motivation: "It's never too late…until it is"

Vanessa O'Brien, FRGS
Mobilisation

Vanessa is the only woman in the world to achieve the explorer’s extreme trifecta - reaching extremes on land (top of Mt. Everest), sea (bottom of the Mariana Trench) and air (suborbital space). She has also summitted the highest peak on every continent and skied the last degree to both the north and south poles, giving her a unique understanding of the global effects of climate change. For GAPS, Vanessa will help resource expeditions, amplify results, and assist the team as needed.

Specialist Skills: Risk Assessment, Leadership and Understanding Human Behaviour

Expedition Experience: Mountaineering, Polar Exploration, Submariner, Space travel.

Author: To The Greatest Heights

Motivation: "You can’t fail unless you give up."

Follow: vobonline @vobonline

GAPS 2024-25 Advisory Board

Running multiple expeditions all over the world brings with it a wide variety of problems to solve. The science alone combines the chemistry of plastics, the physics of spectroscopy and the mathematics of atmosperic modelling. It also helps to understand the glaciers on which we're travelling and the mountains we are climbing. For this reason, we have a small advisory board who are supporting our efforts.

Dušan
Materić

As Head of the Microplastics, Nanoplastics and Elements Group at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Dusan leads a team dedicated to micro- and nano-plastics research. The technique he pioneered for measuring plastic pollution in glacial snows means that his laboratory is one of only a few in the world capable of measuring and categorising nanoplastic pollution.

He has previously worked at the University of Utrecht, the University of Nijmegen, the UK's Open University and the University of East Sarajevo.

Nikolaos
Evangeliou

Senior Scientist at the NILU (Klima- Og Miljøinstituttet / Climate and Environmental Research Institute), an independent research laboratory working on air pollution, climate change and health, Dr. Evanegliou is a specialist in atmospheric dispersion modelling. In particular, he emphasises back-testing against observation. Previous work has included the study of particulates from forest fires and radionuclides from the Chernobyl disaster.

He has previously worked at the National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos" (NCSRD) in Greece and for the CEA and CNRS in France.

Laura
Revell

Working in environmental physics at the Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury in New Zealand, Professor Revell is a world leader in the emerging field of airborne microplastics, where she develops best-practice methods to measure their concentrations and models their impacts on climate. She has previously worked in industry and at the ETH Zürich.

In 2022 she was awarded a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship by the Royal Society for research entitled ‘Airborne microplastics in a changing climate’.

Publications

GAPS 2024-25 Expedition Teams

In order to provide a 'snapshot' of the nanoplastic and microplastic status quo we aim to complete our sampling during a period of 18 months from summer 2024 to December 2025. It is not physically possible for one team to sample all of the sites so we have multiple expedition teams. They will often have an exploratory or sporting goal alongside our scientific mission.

GAPS 2024-25 Leadership Team

Dr. Al Gill, FRGS Expedition Leader

Dr. Dušan Materić, FRGS Scientific Lead

Robin Milner Technical Lead

Vanessa O'Brien, FRGS Mobilisation