On its 217th anniversary last week, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) appointed seventeen new members. One of them was Professor of Remote Sensing Pieternel Levelt (Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences).
Levelt’s research focuses on the quality of the air we breathe. From space, she investigates air quality, greenhouse gases and the ozone layer.
Under her leadership, special measuring instruments (OMI and TROPOMI) were developed that can detect air pollution from satellites hundreds of kilometres above Earth — and trace where it originates from.
Her work has revealed how harmful substances spread and the current state of the ozone layer. It helps governments and policymakers make better decisions regarding air and environmental quality. Levelt is also affiliated with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).
In addition to her professorship in Delft, Levelt is head of R&D for satellite observations at KNMI and co-director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in the United States.
Candidates are selected annually by the KNAW based on their scientific achievements. Membership is for life. The Academy has around 600 members. On LinkedIn, Levelt shared that she is proud of her appointment.
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