Doctoral Student Selected for Research Presentation on Affordable Air Quality Monitoring Research at EGU in Vienna

As cities across the world continue to grapple with worsening air pollution, the need for accessible and reliable air quality monitoring systems has become increasingly urgent. While low-cost air quality sensors have emerged as promising tools for tracking pollution levels at scale, concerns around the accuracy and reliability of the data they generate remain a major challenge. Addressing this critical gap, research from Ahmedabad University is contributing towards improving the effectiveness of low-cost air quality monitoring technologies.

Yash Dahima, a doctoral student at the School of Arts and Sciences working under the guidance of Professor Aditya Vaishya​​​​​​, recently presented his research at the prestigious European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2026 held in Vienna, Austria. His oral presentation focused on developing a novel correction methodology for low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors to improve the accuracy of air quality measurements.

Yash’s research addresses the challenge of ensuring the reliability of data obtained from low-cost air quality sensors, which measure size-segregated particle number and mass concentrations. These sensors play an increasingly important role in understanding air quality patterns, identifying pollution hotspots, and enabling more widespread environmental monitoring. As part of his work, Yash rigorously evaluated sensor performance by comparing sensor measurements with reference-grade instruments and developed a correction framework designed to minimise discrepancies between the two datasets.

Reflecting on his experience at the conference, Yash described the event as professionally rewarding and intellectually enriching. As his first major international conference, the experience gave him the opportunity to engage with researchers, postdoctoral scholars, and scientists from across the world working in air quality and environmental sensing technologies.

The conference also enabled meaningful academic exchanges on emerging gaps in air-quality sensor research and on future possibilities for making these technologies more practical and accessible for various stakeholders. Yash participated in workshops and discussions with leading researchers in the field, gaining valuable insights into the evolving landscape of environmental monitoring research.

His participation at the conference was supported by the ANRF ITS (International Travel Scheme) of the Government of India and the Rasila Kadia Excellence in Research Award of Ahmedabad University.