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From a chemical perspective, both biogeochemical cycling and the metabolism of living organisms can be regarded as multiphase processes that transform and exchange gases, liquids, and solid or semi-solid substances. These processes involve multiphase chemical reactions, mass transport, and phase transitions within and between the atmosphere and the biosphere. The overarching scientific goal of the Multiphase Chemistry Department at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry is to elucidate the role of multiphase processes that are essential in the interplay between air pollution, climate, and public health in the Anthropocene, that is, in the present era of globally pervasive human influence on planet Earth. The current research themes include (a) the sources and properties of natural and anthropogenic aerosols and their effects on air quality, clouds, and precipitation; and (b) the chemical mechanisms, environmental causes, and mitigation of oxidative stress and related inflammatory disorders. Highlights and perspectives of recent and ongoing research activities will be outlined and discussed. They comprise insights into aerosol pH and nanoparticle phase transitions; phase change effects on the oxidation of organic aerosols and pollutants; redox reaction rates and oxidative stress in epithelial lining fluid; ice-nucleating mechanisms of water-soluble protein macromolecules; the amplification of inflammatory immune responses by chemically modified proteins, and the quantitative assessment and reduction of COVID-19 infection risks by airborne transmission.