Max Desservettaz is an experienced atmospheric chemist with a strong focus on biomass burning emissions. His PhD thesis was focused on improving the characterization of biomass burning emissions in Australia, concentrating on both savannah and forest fires, as well as a modelling study to compare the suitability of several biomass burning emission inventories for Australia. Max has carried out field campaigns across all of Australia, and has visited Antarctica, the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, and several locations in Europe and the Middle East. Since January 2023, he has been the co-chair of the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Early Career Researcher Scientific Steering Committee (IGAC-iCACGP ECR SSC). With the BNHRC he will focus on smoke composition and aging, and its impact on firefighters and the community, and on the efficacy of backburns as a wildfire management method.