Modelling the social determinants of health, at the neighbourhood and individual level

The conditions in which we are born and live are the key drivers of health and health inequalities. We know that tackling these social determinants of health requires actions across many policy sectors, such as housing, education or employment. This PhD project gets to the heart of these relationships by (i) undertaking applied spatial analysis and data analytics to a wide range of datasets to identify the distributions and differences at the neighbourhood (provide by Ward) level and (ii) using micro-modelling approaches (e.g. microsimulation) to simulate impacts of various interventions on the individual person/household level. You will bring sound quantitative experience to the project with a background in a numerate discipline (including but certainly not limited to public health, geography, mathematics or computer science) and further develop strong micro-modelling and data analytics abilities during the course of the project. The successful candidate will be part of a large and multidisciplinary team focused on driving policy reform and tackling health inequalities. The SIPHER consortium (https://sipher.ac.uk/) is a new centre for systems science in public health – will provide evidence to support cost-effective action across different policy sectors, including economic growth, education and housing at different scales of government. The consortium was launched as part of a £25 million funding programme from the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP) into understanding and influencing the social economic and environmental factors that affect our health. Key areas of focus for the consortium are: Inclusive economic growth. Policies that promote a more equitable distribution of economic benefits and opportunities across places and communities. Adverse childhood experiences. Policies that seek to prevent difficult childhoods and the harmful life trajectories that are often associated with them. Housing. Policies that promote the availability, affordability, quality and suitability of housing. Mental health. Policies that promote and maintain good mental health and wellbeing in general population. You will work closely with the supervision team at Leeds as well as researchers at the University of Sheffield the Scottish Government, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Sheffield City Council. You will have the opportunity to contribute to the wider work of the consortium and be involved in training and outreach activities. Good communication skills are essential!
Full description
The conditions in which we are born and live are the key drivers of health and health inequalities. We know that tackling these social determinants of health requires actions across many policy sectors, such as housing, education or employment. This PhD project gets to the heart of these relationships by (i) undertaking applied spatial analysis and data analytics to a wide range of datasets to identify the distributions and differences at the neighbourhood (provide by Ward) level and (ii) using micro-modelling approaches (e.g. microsimulation) to simulate impacts of various interventions on the individual person/household level. You will bring sound quantitative experience to the project with a background in a numerate discipline (including but certainly not limited to public health, geography, mathematics or computer science) and further develop strong micro-modelling and data analytics abilities during the course of the project.
The successful candidate will be part of a large and multidisciplinary team focused on driving policy reform and tackling health inequalities. The SIPHER consortium (https://sipher.ac.uk/) is a new centre for systems science in public health – will provide evidence to support cost-effective action across different policy sectors, including economic growth, education and housing at different scales of government. The consortium was launched as part of a £25 million funding programme from the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP) into understanding and influencing the social economic and environmental factors that affect our health. Key areas of focus for the consortium are:
Inclusive economic growth. Policies that promote a more equitable distribution of economic benefits and opportunities across places and communities.
Adverse childhood experiences. Policies that seek to prevent difficult childhoods and the harmful life trajectories that are often associated with them.
Housing. Policies that promote the availability, affordability, quality and suitability of housing.
Mental health. Policies that promote and maintain good mental health and wellbeing in general population.
You will work closely with the supervision team at Leeds as well as researchers at the University of Sheffield the Scottish Government, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Sheffield City Council. You will have the opportunity to contribute to the wider work of the consortium and be involved in training and outreach activities. Good communication skills are
essential!