Dr. Azhar Siddique has more than 20 years’ experience in the field of evaluation of environmental stressors affecting receptor ecology through contaminant exposure in urban areas of developing countries. Additionally, he has comprehensive experience in supervising and conducting ambient air quality monitoring, managing projects, setting goals, and interpreting data for regulation/abetment purposes.
In the early stages of his career, he dealt mostly with biophysical interactions in aquatic systems. Later, his work shifted towards the current air quality studies of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and associated health risks in urban areas of the Middle East region. His work has been associated with similar studies in Pakistan and the USA, partners with the US National Academy of Sciences.
Additionally, he had conducted studies on non-methane hydrocarbons (VOCs) profiling during the holy pilgrimage in western Saudi Arabia with the University of California, Irvine.
Over the years, his training as a laboratory-based chemistry graduate shifted more towards field-based environmental studies involving an interdisciplinary perspective of health and well-being. This was drawn from a variety of academic areas, including epidemiology, hazard identification, risk assessment, management and communication, which are critical subfields of public health.
His research and teaching interests lie in environmental health and in pursuing the air quality mediated health effects. He is currently involved in the following research areas:
Ministry of Public Health Qatar
2017 - 2019Canalytic Inc., Toronto, Canada
2016 - 2017QEERI, Qatar Foundation, Qatar
2015 - 2016KAU, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
2010 - 2015SUNY- Albany, NY. USA
2007 - 2009State University of New York at Albany, NY, USA
2009University of Karachi, Pakistan
2007Unprecedented environmental and energy impacts and challenges of COVID-19 pandemic. Environmental Research 193(489):110443
Assessing the association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) constituents and cardiovascular diseases in a mega-city of Pakistan. Environmental Pollution 252(2019)1412-1422.
2019Fine particles exposure and cardiopulmonary morbidity in Jeddah: A time-series analysis. Science of the Total Environment 647 (2019) 1314–1322
2019Influence of household water filters on bacteria growth and trace metals in tap water of Doha, Qatar. Nature, Scientific Reports. (8):8268.
2017Climate change and water scarcity: the case of Saudi Arabia. Annals of Global Health. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aogh.2015.08.005
2015Multipathways Human Health Risk Assessment of Trihalomethane Exposure through Drinking Water. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 116: 129–136
2015Air quality in Mecca and surrounding holy places in Saudi Arabia during Hajj: Initial survey. Environmental Science & Technology. 48(15):8529-37. doi: 10.1021/es5017476.
2014Heavy metal toxicity levels in the coastal sediments of the Arabian Sea along the urban Karachi (Pakistan) region. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 58(9): 1406-1414
2009