Biography
Christopher Roulston is a Research Technician at CSIRO’s Climate Science Centre, Oceans and Atmosphere. He provides technical and planning support across the GASLAB, aerosols and reactive gases, and smoke research groups, with a focus on instrumentation, sampling systems, and process improvements.
Since joining CSIRO in 2018, Christopher has contributed to major initiatives including the SMoke Observation Gadget (SMOG) program, which evolved from a STEM education project into a national PM2.5 monitoring network supporting the AQFX smoke forecasting system. He also supports the Global Atmospheric Sampling LABoratory (GASLAB) by maintaining instrumentation at both domestic and sub-Antarctic sites and engineering systems to enhance atmospheric monitoring capabilities.
Christopher is driven to streamline and strengthen processes by reducing manual intervention, thereby improving efficiency and minimising the introduction of errors. He has developed mobile and autonomous sampling platforms, automated data acquisition systems, and authored safety procedures as part of his role as Radiation Safety Contact. He also manages the Atmospheric Composition and Chemistry web presence: https://research.csiro.au/acc/
Other Interests
Chris enjoys travelling off the beaten trail and is an avid rock climber, canyoner, and spelunker. He was a member of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) for four and a half years prior to relocating to Victoria, and has now served with the Victorian Country Fire Authority (CFA) for six years. Outside of work, Chris enjoys time outdoors with his two Kelpies, often combining bushwalking and exploring with his love of nature.
Academic Qualifications
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2018
Masters of Philosophy - Chemistry - With Commendations
University of Wollongong -
2013
Bachelor of Computer Science - Digital Systems Security
University of Wollongong -
2013
Bachelor of Science - Chemistry
University of Wollongong
Current Roles
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Research Technician - Climate Science Centre - Reactive Gases
Technical support and method development for field campaigns. -
Research Technician - Climate Science Centre - GASLAB
Technical support and maintenance of remote sites (Sub Antarctic sites)
Other highlights
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2016-2018
Measuring emissions from tropical peat fires throughout the peat swamps of penisula Malaysia
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2018-current
Travelling to Casey and Macquarie Island (Sub-Antarctic) sites.
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2018-2023
Development of the CSIRO SMoke Obeservation Gadget (SMOG) including hardware and software developemnt
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2024-2025
Development of a real time sampling and dilution system for the Pyrotron Emissions and Greenhouse Gas Analysis System (PEGGASys)
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2023-2025
Development of a mobile methane monitoring platform
Professional Experiences
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2017-2018
Air Quality Monitoring Officer
Office of Environment and Herritage -
2016-2019
Research Assistant
University of Wollongong
ORCID 0000-0003-1888-4206