Melody is the air quality team leader at Miller Goodall Ltd, where she manages the air quality team, working on projects across the UK. Within air quality assessments, Melody models the impact of emissions from a variety of sources including traffic, combustion and odour. She has been involved in a number of notable projects, including working on the air quality Environmental Impact Assessment chapter for the Paterson Redevelopment Project on behalf of the Christie NHS Foundation Trust after the fire of 2017. In addition, she has been involved in odour screening assessments using SCAIL and FIDOL at poultry units in Lincoln, mineral dust assessments for an extension to an existing quarry in Normanton and an air quality mitigation scheme in relation to discharging a planning condition for the Wing development in South Cambridgeshire.
In particular, she has enjoyed working on the Greening Durham City project with LUC and Durham City Council, as she has always been interested in the intersection of green infrastructure and air quality. This project focused on how green infrastructure could be used to improve air quality within the city; using strategically targeted areas to ensure the greatest benefit, a literature review of the relationship between green infrastructure and air quality was produced. The layout and infrastructure of the city was considered with regards to air quality, for instance, planting trees along a street canyon can exacerbate air pollution concentrations within an area. While considering different types of green infrastructure and specific species to be used within the scheme, the predicted benefits of the project on local air quality were also discussed.
Previous to her role at Miller Goodall Ltd, Melody studied for a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science at Manchester Metropolitan University where she developed her skills in using GIS and statistical software programs on the way to receiving a first-class honours. She spent a couple of years working in outreach before returning to studying environmental science at the University of Liverpool where she received a distinction. It was here that Melody gained a passion for air quality research, her dissertation focused on the impact of urban trees on air quality and was awarded the Eric Hardy Memorial prize.
“I think membership of IES and IAQM, will be hugely beneficial for both my career and personal development. Being able to attend expert-led events and webinars is a great source of CPD as well as being extremely interesting. I believe IES membership will help me to grow as an environmental consultant, giving me access to a huge database of knowledge and experience.”
She is looking forward to developing in her role and increasing her portfolio of projects and learning more about the behind-the-scenes aspects of running the business, an area she is keen to develop. Through a Leaders of Tomorrow training course through the Business Growth Hub, she has taken the opportunity to discuss strategies with other team leaders to address the challenges associated with a leadership position.
