Dr Vicki Jenneson

Profile

I obtained a position as Research Fellow at the University of Leeds in 2022 and currently work in partnership with UK supermarket retailers to evaluate the impacts legislation to restrict the placement of products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) legislation in England on the DIO-Food project. Prior to this, I worked with IGD and retailers to trial behavioural nudges in retail environments to help to customers make healthier and more sustainable choices at the point of purchase.

I completed my PhD at the University of Leeds between 2017 and 2022, where I investigated the utility of supermarket transaction records as a source of population dietary information. My PhD was part of the ESRC’s Data Analytics and Society Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT), where I gained an MSc in Data Analytics and Society.

During my PhD I spent time on secondment with the National Food Strategy team at the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) where I contributed to key recommendations, including a manufacturers levy on sugar and salt.

Before this I gained a Masters in Public Health (MPH) from the University of York (2017) and a BSc in Nutrition from the University of Leeds (2014).

I also have experience working within the food industry and the health charity sector.

Responsibilities

• Early Career Researcher (ECR) representative for the School of Food Science and Nutrition

Research interests

My research focuses on understanding what supermarket transaction data can tell us about dietary patterns at the population-level, and how these novel data can contribute to nutrition research applications, including interventions and policy evaluation.

I apply supermarket transactions data as a means to evaluate the effectiveness of store-level retail environment interventions and policies, creating insights for industry and policymakers, and to evaluate national public health policy.

I am also interested in how food system data can be digitalised and harnessed to support policy development and implementation. For example, I have developed an online tool which enables the application of the UK’s Nutrient Profile Model.

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

• PhD in Nutrition Data Analytics, University of Leeds
• MSc Data Analytics and Society
• Master of Public Health (MPH)
• BSc Nutrition (Industrial)

Professional memberships

• Nutrition Society
• Association for Nutrition (Associate Nutritionist)

Student education

I co-supervise Lewis Wallis, a PhD student in the School of Food Science and Nutrition. 

I also regularly supervise graduate Data Scientists on the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics’ (LIDA) Data Science Development Programme (DSDP). 

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>