Professor Catherine Noakes

Professor Cath Noakes is a chartered mechanical engineer, with a background in fluid dynamics. She leads research into ventilation, indoor air quality and infection control in the built environment. Her research group carry out experimental and modelling based studies, to explore the transport of airborne pathogens, the influence of indoor airflows and effectiveness of engineering approaches to controlling airborne disease transmission, including within healthcare settings.

Cath is currently Deputy Director of Leeds Institute for Fluid Dynamics and Co-Director for the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Fluid Dynamics. Since April 2020 she has been involved in the COVID-19 response, leading the Environment and Modelling sub-group of the UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) focusing on the science underpinning environmental transmission of COVID-19.