Prof. Mark A. Sutton

The work of Prof. Sutton focuses on ammonia and the wider nitrogen cycle, linking disciplines from micrometeorology and atmospheric chemistry to plant ecology and policy analysis, leading to new understanding and quantitative models.  Prof. Sutton has led a series of key national and international collaborative projects including the NitroEurope Integrated Project (€28M, 64 partner institutes) for the EU.  A key outcome was the first European Nitrogen Assessment (Cambridge University Press).

Prof. Sutton is co-chair of the Task Force on Reactive Nitrogen (TFRN), a body of the Geneva Air Convention, and recently led the first UNECE Guidance Document on Integrated Sustainable Nitrogen Management (published 2022).  He served as chair of the International Nitrogen Initiative (INI) for 2012-2018.  Since 2012 Prof Sutton has been working with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), leading to publication of ‘Our Nutrient World’ (2013) and his spear-heading the GEF/UNEP ‘International Nitrogen Management System’ as a science support mechanism for nitrogen policy, also leading to the first ever International Nitrogen Assessment. 

Since 2019 Prof, Sutton has been Director of the GCRF South Asian Nitrogen Hub (£17M, 40 organizations) through the Global Challenges Research Fund of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).  This is working with the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP) to develop the community of South Asian scientists and policy makers as global nitrogen champions. This has led to the 'Colombo Declaration' (adopted on UN Day 2019) and the first resolutions (4/14, 5/2) on Sustainable Nitrogen Management adopted by the UN Environment Assembly in close partnership with Prof. Sutton and the INMS and SANH communities.