What is your general research area?
I am a statistical epidemiologist. My two main interests are: i) the life course epidemiology of obesity and cardiovascular disease, and ii) the complex and bidirectional relationships between social factors (socioeconomic disadvantage adverse childhood experiences) and health. I have experience of statistical techniques for repeated measures data, and in the integration of genetic data into epidemiological studies.
What is special about our WT programme?
One of the many special things about this programme is the interdisciplinarity. Students come from really diverse backgrounds, and their theses span a huge variety of topics. This leads to a really stimulating learning environment. Another special feature is the emphasis on robust, reproducible research – the research carried out by students on the programme is of the highest standard, and the students get training and experience in applying cutting-edge methodology.
Why do you contribute to this PhD programme?
It is a privilege to be involved in supporting the career development of the next generation of population health researchers. The skills gained through a PhD on this programme offer so much potential for a career either inside or outside of academia, and the structure of doing mini projects before the main PhD means that students gain a really broad set of experiences that put them in a good place for their next steps.