Overview

The Reading Climate Countdown was a project that I co-led analysing climate and health connections in the town of Reading. The aim was to create a localised version of the global Lancet Countdown reports.

I designed a range of new research indicators, based on local datasets including the University of Reading weather station records, NHS health datasets, and the Hansard parliamentary speech records.

Main Findings
Temperatures
  • Temperatures have been increasing steadily over the previous century
  • The number of heatwaves has also been increasing
Political Engagement
  • There was a sharp rise in discussion of climate issues in parliament in 2019
  • Overall, Berkshire MPs mentioned climate change in 129 of 4895 debates they participated in
  • Links between climate and health were only made twice, by Reading East MP Matt Rodda in relation to air pollution and the health benefits of walking and cycling
Media Engagement
  • 40% of all Reading Chronicle articles mentioning climate change between 2008 – 2021 were in 2019
  • 263 articles referenced climate change, but only 16% mentioned health and only 3.8% featured a strong overt link to health
Health
  • Hospital admissions due to respiratory disease, COPD, asthma have been steadily increasing in Berkshire and Reading
  • The local Reading population has become more at risk due mainly to increases in the average age and diabetes rates

Full report

Policy Brief (Impact of climate on health)

Policy Brief (Public and Political Engagement)

Appendix Report

Details of my methodologies and processes can be found in the appendix report.

Overview

I have been conducting research into health issues for the Health Action Research Group, with a particular emphasis on connections between diet and health outcomes. Topics I have covered so far include:

  • Alcohol and disease
  • The Glycaemic Index
  • Cruciferous vegetables, berries, and pulses
Key findings
Alcohol and Disease
  • Excessive alcohol consumption can cause health problems such as alcohol use disorder, alcohol-related liver disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
  • There are some potential benefits of low to moderate alcohol consumption regarding issues such as type 2 diabetes and dementia.
  • A link to the full article can be found here
The Glycaemic Index
  • Pursuing a low GI diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some forms of cancer
  • However, the glycaemic index should not be taken as a barometer of what is healthy and unhealthy on its own. For example, chocolate has a low GI score, while watermelon has a high GI score.
  • A link to the article can be found here
Cruciferous Vegetables, Berries and Pulses
  • Cruciferous vegetables may have beneficial protections for cancer risk, cardiovascular disease risk, and a range of psychiatric conditions
  • Pulses may reduce cholesterol, while blueberries may improve abdominal symptoms and vascular function
  • A link to my findings can be found here

Overview

My undergraduate dissertation project took an interdisciplinary approach to studying the movement patterns of Neanderthals. I drew primarily upon modern day studies of four key predator and prey species from the palaeolithic period (red deer, reindeer, bison, and wolf) which are still extant today. Based on these studies, and complemented with data from ancient isotopes and lithic (stone tool) materials, I was able to construct a model for Neanderthal movement patterns based on analysis of movement patterns of present-day animal populations.

Movement Patterns were analysed based on:

  • Geographic region
  • Climate
  • Latitude

This project received the Runner’s Up Dissertation of the Year award from the Prehistoric Society.

A link to the full dissertation can be found here

I have conducted research into plastic pollution for an environmental charity.

Soft Plastics

Soft plastics are an unnecessary form of packaging which has lasting damage on ecosystems, health, and social wellbeing. Despite pledges made by UK supermarkets to reduce soft plastic packaging, change has been minimal if not non-existent.

A link to an article on this can be found here

Nanoplastics and health

Recent evidence is pointing to a significant risk to health posed by barely perceptible microscopic particles found in bottled water.

Findings on this can be found here

I have also produced research work on ADHD issues. Links to findings can be found here and here.

In August 2023 I was involved in a project at the Greater Mahale ecosystem in Tanzania, studying the behavioural patterns of chimpanzees.

I have written an article based on my experience, in the style of popular science magazines.