This project has been designed to improve the current scientific understanding of the effects of black carbon (BC) aerosol on climate while simultaneously developing a unique multidisciplinary scientist for a successful research career in Europe. Chemical processing of BC during atmospheric transport leads to changes in its capacity to scatter and absorb solar radiation. The scientific objectives of this project are to investigate the sources and atmospheric processing of BC at local and transboundary scales. At the University of Toronto (UT), the candidate will simultaneously measure the chemical and optical properties of BC using state of the art aerosol instrumentation and data analysis techniques. An intensive multidisciplinary field campaign, involving deployment of a suite of aerosol instrumentation, is planned for the outgoing phase of this project. While based at UT, the candidate will also benefit greatly through taking part in the unique “Leaders of Tomorrow” programme, designed to instil leadership qualities in students and researchers. Upon return to Europe, the candidate will design and install a new combustion and dilution system and interface it with the existing atmospheric simulation chamber at University College Cork. Experiments will be performed under a variety of atmospherically relevant conditions in order to investigate BC particle growth rates and to monitor the evolution of BC chemical and optical properties. Improving the scientific understanding of the effects of BC on climate is recognised as one of the “grand challenges” facing the European Research Area (ERA). The benefit to the ERA lies in improving European excellence in the fields of atmospheric chemistry and physics by training a candidate in state of the art instrumentation and analysis techniques outside Europe, followed by successful reintegration into the European scientific community.