Dr. Felicity Hayes

I am a plant ecophysiologist and have worked for CEH since 1998 after completing a degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Exeter and an MSc in Environmental Science at the University of Aberdeen.  Whilst working for CEH I have completed a part-time PhD on 'The effects of ozone on semi-natural vegetation' at the University of York in 2007.

My role includes design, implementation and publishing of experimental work, funded mainly by NERC, Defra and the EU, to inform and quantify potential risks to vegetation from air pollution.  I am responsible for the running of the solardomes experimental facility, comprising 8 solardomes, 9 rings for Free Air Ozone Exposure and 6 closed chambers, with a total capital cost of approximately £350k, and manage associated budgets, staff and students.

I am Chair of the ICP Vegetation, which is an international research programme investigating the impacts of air pollutants on crops and (semi-)natural vegetation. It reports to the Working Group on Effects (WGE) of the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). The programme focuses on the impacts of ozone pollution on vegetation and the atmospheric deposition of heavy metals, nitrogen and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to vegetation.I also take a lead in synthesis of data from researchers predominantly from across Europe and analyse this to produce outputs that inform policy, in particular for setting Critical Levels for ozone pollution within the LRTAP Convention. Recent research includes interactions with environmental stressors including drought and excess nitrogen, investigating quantification of combined impacts and the mechanisms involved.

2020 - present   Chair, ICP Vegetation

2019 - present   Chair , CAPER (Community of Air Pollution Effects Researchers)

2015 – present   Chair, Working Group on Evidence of Ozone Impacts. LRTAP Convention Ozone Critical Levels workshop

2014 – present   ICP Vegetation representative at ICP Forests meetings

2014 – present   ICP Forests ‘Air Quality’ Expert Panel member

2007 - present   Plant Ecophysiologist, Band 6, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK

1998 - 2007      Plant Ecophysiologist, Band 7,Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK