Present and past topics of study:

My research has focused on particulate matter (PM) for 30 years and covers different issues such as sources and processes influencing PM concentrations through examination of long-range transport of pollutants and impacts in rural, mountainous and polar areas, source apportionment of particulate matter, sources and processes affecting ultrafine particle concentrations in urban and rural areas, monitoring atmospheric PM and ultrafine particles and particulate vehicular emissions, laboratory analyses of organic and inorganic PM, exhaust and non-exhaust road traffic emissions and their impacts on air quality and health, identification of tracers of road traffic emissions.

Since I have been in the Umrestte laboratory - Epidemiological Research and Surveillance in Transport, Occupation and Environment (2020), my research focuses on environmental and occupational exposure to particulate matter, more especially in urban areas and during commuting, and questions related to the determination of individual exposures through mobile sensors and modelling.

Diplomas/Education

H.D.R. University Claude Bernard Lyon 1 in 2025

Ph.D in Atmospheric Science in 1999, University of Technologie de Compiègne

Master in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, University of Paris VI / University of Savoie in 1996

Past appointements

2016-2019: Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement, CNRS/University of Grenoble Alpes

2006-2010: Laboratoire Transports et Environnement, IFSTTAR-INRETS

2001-2006: Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management, University of Birmingham

2000-2001: Ecole des Mines de Douai (now IMT Nord Europe)

Scientific committees, working and expert groups, conference committees (present and past):

Since 2020, member of Scientific committee AQACIA (« comprendre, innover et agir en faveur de la qualité de l’air » = "understand, innovate and act for air quality"), ADEME

2021-2024, expert member of the ANSES working group “Occupational exposure to road traffic emissions and related health impacts”

Since 2015, member of Scientific committee PRIMEQUAL (Programme de Recherche Interorganisme pour une Meilleure Qualité de l’Air à l’échelle Locale = Research Program for Better Air Quality at the Local Level), ADEME and French ministry of Environment

Since 2020, editorial board member of the international journal Atmosphere

2015-2018, expert member of the ANSES working group “Health effect of atmospheric particles according to their sources, chemical compounds and sizes” and “Impact on air pollution of vehicle technologies and fleet circulating in France”

2008-2012, expert member of the Haut Conseil de la Santé Publique, ministry of health, for the working group “Atmospheric particles and health”

2009-2017, permanent member of the scientific committee of the international Transport and Air Pollution Conference; chairwoman of TAP conference in 2009

2016, member of the scientific committee of the 7th SFSE conference “Air quality and health” held in Strasbourg

2011-2013, member of ERMES working group (European Research on mobile emission sources).

2008-2011, member of the ECTRI Transport Working Group H (Transport, Urban Environment, and Health), 2007-2011 co-rapporteur, 2010-2011 moderation

Recent Conferences

Al Marj E., Mahou I., Fort A., Harrison R.M., Pope F.D., Faherty T, Charron A., Exploring Short-Term Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution during Bicycle Commuting, European Aerosol Conférence 2025, 1-5 September Lecce, Italy.

Mahou I., Al Marj E., Charron A., Harrison R.M., Pope F.D., Faherty T, Fort A., Exploring the short-term impacts of commuting environments on cognitive functions and attention, 9th Humanist Conference, Chemnitz, Germany, 27-29 August 2025

Mahou I., Al Marj E., Charron A., Harrison R.M., Pope F.D., Faherty T, Fort A., Short-term impacts of commuting environments on cognitive functions and attention, International Organization of Psychophysiology (IOP), July 8–11, 2025, Krakow, Pologne.

Al Marj E., Mahou I., Fort A., Harrison R.M., Pope F.D., Faherty T, Charron A., Étude de l'exposition à court terme à la pollution atmosphérique liée au trafic lors des déplacements à vélo, Journées Franco-suisses de santé et de médecin au travail. Lyon, 16-17 juin 2025.

Selected Publications

Charron A., Polo Rehn L., Besombes J.L., Golly B., Buisson C., Chanut H., Marchand N., Guillaud G., Jaffrezo J.L., 2019, Identification and quantification of particulate tracers of exhaust and non-exhaust vehicle emissions, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 19, 5187-5207, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5187-2019.

Weber, S., Uzu, G., Calas, A., Chevrier, F., Besombes, J.-L., Charron, A., Salameh, D., Ježek, I., Močnik, G., and Jaffrezo, J.-L. 2018: An apportionment method for the oxidative potential of atmospheric particulate matter sources: application to a one-year study in Chamonix, France, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 18, 9617-9629, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9617-2018.

Calas A., Uzu G., Kelly F.J., Houdier S., Martins J.M.F., Thomas F., Molton F., Charron A., Dunster C., Oliete A., Jacob V., Besombes J.L., Chevrier F., Jaffrezo J.L., 2018, Comparison between five acellular oxidative potential measurement assays performed with detailed chemistry on PM10 samples from the city of Chamonix (France), Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 18, 7863-7875, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-7863-2018.

Kim Y., Sartelet K., Seigneur C., Charron A., Besombes J.L., Jaffrezo J.L., Marchand N., Polo L., 2016, Effect of measurement protocol on organic aerosol measurements of exhaust emissions from gasoline and diesel vehicles, Atmospheric Environment, 140, 176-187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2016.05.045

DeWitt H.L., Hellebust S., Temime-Roussel B., Ravier S., Polo L., Jacob V., Buisson C., Charron A., Besombes J.L., Jaffrezo J.L., Wortham H., Marchand N., 2015. Direct Measurements of Near-Highway Emissions in a High Diesel Environment. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 15, 4373-4387, doi:10.5194/acp-15-4373-2015.

Terrouche A., Ali-Khodja H., Kemmouche A., Bouziane M., Derradji A., Charron A., 2016, Identification of sources of atmospheric particulate matter and trace metals in Constantine, Algeria, Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health, 9:69–82, DOI 10.1007/s11869-014-0308-1

Charron A., Degrendele C., Laongsri B. and Harrison, R.M., 2013, Receptor Modelling of Secondary Particulate Matter at U.K. Sites. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, volume 13, 1879-1894. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-1879-2013, 2013

Charron, A., 2010, Focus on Airborne Particulate Matter from the Transport Sector, Aerosol Science and Technology, volume 44, issue 7, doi:10.1080/02786826.2010.483977

Charron, A., Birmili, W. and Harrison, R.M., 2008, Fingerprinting Particle Origins According to their Size Distribution at a UK Rural Site, Journal of Geophysical Research, volume 113, D07202 doi:10.1029/2007/JD008562

Charron, A., Birmili, W. and Harrison, R.M., 2007, Factors influencing new particle formation at the rural site, Harwell, United Kingdom, Journal of Geophysical Research, volume 112, D14210, doi:10.1029/2007JD008425

Charron, A., Harrison., R. M., Quincey, P., 2007, What are the sources and conditions responsible for exceedences of the 24-hour PM10 limit Value (50 µg m-3) at a heavily trafficked London site? Atmospheric Environment, volume 41, 1960-1975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.10.041

Charron, A., and Harrison, R. M., 2005, Fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM2.5-10) particulate matter on a heavily trafficked London highway: sources and processes, Environmental Science and Technology volume 39, pages 7768-7776. DOI: 10.1021/es050462i

Charron, A., Harrison, R. M., Moorcroft, S., and Booker, J., 2004, Quantitative interpretation of divergence of PM10 and PM2.5 mass measurement by TEOM and gravimetric (Partisol) instruments, Atmospheric Environment volume 38, pages 415-423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2003.09.072

Van Dingenen, R., Raes, F., Putaud, J.-P., Baltensperger, U., Charron, A., Cristina Facchini, M., Decesari, S., Fuzzi, S., Gehrig, R., Hansson, H.-C., Harrison, R. M., Hüglin, C., Jones, A. M., Laj, P., Lorbeer, G., Maenhaut, W., Palmgren, F., Querol, X., Rodriguez, S., Schneider, J., ten Brink, H., Tunved, P., Torseth, K., Wehner, B., Weingartner, E., Wiedensohler, A., Whålin, P., 2004, A European Aerosol Phenomenology-1: Physical characteristics of particulate matter at kerbside, urban, rural and bakground sites in Europe. , Atmospheric Environment volume 38, pages 2561-2577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2004.01.040

Charron, A. and Harrison, R. M., 2003, Primary particle formation from vehicle emissions in the roadside atmosphere, Atmospheric Environment volume 37, issue 29, pages 4109-4119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1352-2310(03)00510-7