Eamonn Daly has a degree in Physics from the University of Exeter and a Ph.D. in Plasma Physics from the University of Manchester. Following a post doctoral fellowship at Manchester and a period with a commercial scientific instruments company, he joined the European Space Agency at ESTEC in the Netherlands in 1983. Working in the technical directorate, he and his team provide specialist support during the development and operation of ESA spacecraft in the areas of space environments and their effects. The environments include energetic particle radiation, plasmas, particulates and atmospheres, and resulting problems on increasingly complex space missions have become more and more difficult to mitigate. Over the years the importance of the function has grown and led to establishment of a large section which he has headed since 1993. Apart from the support provided to the preparation of ESA missions, the section has an active R&D programme including developments of space instruments and flight experiments, data analysis, modelling, simulation and engineering support tool development. The section is where activities were first initiated on coordinated European pre-development of space weather applications, along with associated system studies and R&D. This eventually led to the establishment of the ESA Space Situational Awareness programme. The section also contributes actively to efforts on standardisation, community collaborations, education and outreach.