What if you could measure air pollution while you rode your bike?
Matias Acosta gives me hope. There’s no doubt he has an enormous intellect and deep expertise in some extraordinarily complex science. And there’s no doubt he’s driven to make a contribution to science – he’s got 53 publications to his credit that attest to that.
Rather, the hope he inspires in me comes from his contribution to the development of human potential to do good. He calls it “working with local and national governments, embassies and many innovation hubs to meet his passion of building disciplinary, geographical and generational bridges for an inclusive and sustainable future.”
One of the projects he researched, together with Dr Nikki Weckman and Dr Saif Ahmad, (who were also Canada-UK Post-Doctoral Fellows) was the nano-sensor technology project referenced in our headline. Using nano-technology, a small particulate sensor was mounted to push bikes, sending measurements to analyse air quality. The research was done in collaboration with Collaboration with Cambridge University Centre for Doctoral Training in Sensor Technologies and Centre for Global Equality, and was supported by both Canadian and UK embassies in a Latin American launch. Citizen science projects like this have great potential to help improve air quality because of their ability to give policy makers reliable, timely low cost information.
Matias earned his PhD at the renowned Technical University of Darmstadt. Through his research he has acquired vast experience in materials/devices for the 4th industrial revolution, such as sensors for IoT technology, and fuel cells to transform hydrogen to clean electricity.
Along the way, his research achievements have been recognized with 13 international awards including two covers of Journals, invited participation to the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, and outstanding academic achievements by Springer and the Technical University of Darmstadt, among others.
We caught up with Matias recently to learn more about his latest work, recent awards, and what he takes away from his time as a Canada-UK Fellow at Cambridge University. In his day job, Matias is now Head of Exploration of the United Nations Development Programme Accelerator Lab based in Buenos Aires. His passion project is Shaping Horizons, an organisation he founded to create youth-led social innovation programmes with diverse young participants using research as inspiration. Through Shaping Horizons, Matias and team are committed to building a youth-led collaborative social innovation ecosystem with training and mentoring opportunities for mobilising the power of youth beyond 150 countries by 2030. In this video he shares some insights on progress towards this goal and what’s next for him:
About The Canada-UK Fellowships Programme
Canada, the UK and other developed economies will face tremendous opportunities in the coming twenty years. Powerful new technologies such as artificial intelligence, gene therapy and nanomaterials offer the potential to create new economic value and extend human life. At the same time, new developments in sustainable agriculture, energy generation and communication could enable all countries to reach high standards of living, while mitigating damage to the environment.
To deliver these outcomes, the world needs a new generation of leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs who understand new technologies at a fundamental level and can implement them with vision and care.
Early career researcher talent
The world’s leading academic research institutions employ early career researchers to extend the frontier of knowledge across all fields. These talented young people have achieved excellence in academic studies, obtaining Doctorate (PhD) level qualifications. They work under the guidance and direction of the leading senior researchers in their respective fields, seeking new insight and solutions.
Many talented early career researchers aspire to apply their knowledge beyond the academic environment. They see how science and technology can be used to drive sustainable development across the world, and recognise the value of collaborating across disciplines, borders and cultures. With the right support, they can accelerate the development and deployment of ambitious new solutions that will bring benefits to Canada, the UK and the broader global community.
The Canada-UK Fellowship Programme seeks to create a network of future global leaders with deep scientific understanding. By benefitting from the strengths of both countries, these talented young people can fulfil their true potential. The programme is not currently accepting applications.