Eleni Dovrou

Eleni Dovrou studied environmental engineering at the University of Crete. She holds a PhD from Harvard University (USA) that focused on atmospheric chemistry. She is currently a post-doctoral researcher at Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Germany. At the same time, as a volleyball/ beach volley player she has travelled throughout Greece and across the world, realizing how people take the environment for granted.

As a research leader, her work has focused on and contributed to the study of molecular level reactions in gas-phase and cloud water, on how they significantly impact the quality of air, and consequently human health. Along with her team, she has explored the ways in which we enact environmental laws based on what we essentially consider as anthropogenic pollutants, when in fact small chemical compounds give rise to products responsible for acid rain, air pollution, and oxidative stress in the respiratory system of humans, calling for needed legislation.

For her current research at Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Germany, she explores the impact of such “chemical paths” on human health through respiratory system responses, having already concluded that in some countries this is the second cause of death. Her research shows that atmospheric pollution is integrally linked with the formation of particles, which carry viruses and compounds that can damage the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. They can also cause irreversible damage to the eyes and skin of all living organisms. Telling are the examples of air pollution in China and India, as well as the recent threat of COVID-19.

This is a very promising research, since understanding the reactions that take place in the atmosphere at a molecular level can significantly contribute to dealing with atmospheric and environmental pollution, as well as to grasping and dealing with the health consequences for humans and organisms.