Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants was established in 1985 with the aim of making use of new developments in environmental research from Cambridge University and elsewhere for practical purposes. The company is an SME (small and medium enterprise) with over 20 high level technical consultants. It has two technical directors at the forefront of their fields: Professor Julian Hunt, FRS, who acts as chairman, and Dr. David Carruthers, who is CERC's Managing and Technical Director. The Financial Director is Tim Newton. The company offices are located opposite King's College in the centre of Cambridge. CERC has a leading position in environmental software development and associated consultancy. This has been achieved by encapsulating advanced scientific research into a number of computer models, providing user-friendly front-ends on PC based Windows platforms. The most well known of these is the Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling System (ADMS), of which there are now hundreds of licensed users worldwide. Other models include EMIT (atmospheric emissions), GASTAR for dense gas releases, LSMS for liquid spills and FLOWSTAR for flow over complex terrain with wind energy applications. CERC provides a range of consultancy services using both its own and third party models. These include assessment of the impact of industrial emissions, for example to support an IPPC application, and assessment of the impact of traffic emissions generated by a proposed development, for example as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for planning purposes. CERC has an active role in supporting Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) Review and Assessment work for local authorities, and extensive experience in emissions management and the compilation of emissions inventories of both toxic pollutants and greenhouse gases.
