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Dr Rachel Oldroyd

Dr Rachel Oldroyd

  • Position: Lecturer
  • Areas of expertise: Geographic data science; health geography; out-of-home food environments; food safety; web-based GIS
  • Email: R.Oldroyd@leeds.ac.uk
  • Phone: +44(0)113 343 3309
  • Location: 10.16 Miall Building
  • Website: Twitter | Googlescholar

Profile

Rachel is a Lecturer in Geographic Data Science based within the Centre for Spatial Analysis and Policy in the School of Geography. Rachel joined the University’s academic staff in 2013 and has since completed a PhD in Big Data and Food Safety (2021), she also has an MSc in Computing Science (2012) and a BSc (Hons.) in Geographic Information Science (2011), both from Newcastle University. Rachel is passionate about addressing underrepresentation within Higher Education. She is involved in the University’s student access and success networks, acts as an Access to Leeds tutor, and has delivered over 30 outreach sessions to date.   

Research interests

Rachel is a geographic data scientist with experience working with external organisations and policy makers. Her research interests are centred around food access, safety, and inequalities. Rachel’s research has a strong methodological focus employing machine learning and spatial data analytics on large datasets to further understand out-of-home food environments. 

<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, Big Data & Food Safety, Consumer Data Research Centre, University of Leeds
  • MSc, Computing Science, Newcastle University
  • BSc (Hons.), Geographic Information Science, Newcastle University
  • University of Leeds Teaching Award, University of Leeds

Professional memberships

  • Higher Education Academy (Associate Fellow)
  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Network

Student education

Rachel’s teaching is centred around geographic data science, applied GIS, programming (Python / R), and quantitative human geography. She teaches across a range of modules and supervises dissertations at Undergraduate and Postgraduate level. Rachel also delivers CPD courses for the Consumer Data Research Centre and the Leeds Institute for Data Analytics. 

Research groups and institutes

  • Institute for Spatial Data Science
<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>