1. Faculty of Environment
  2. School of Geography
  3. People
  4. Profile
Dr Vikki Houlden

Dr Vikki Houlden

Profile

Vikki Houlden is a Lecturer in Urban Data Science in the School of Geography, and member of the Centre for Spatial Analysis and Policy (CSAP) research cluster. She also works with Leeds Institute for Data Analytics (LIDA) and is a Visiting Researcher at Newcastle University. She previously worked as a Research Associate in Spatial Inequality, within Newcastle’s Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS). Prior to this, she held a teaching-focussed role as Academic Technologist at the University of Warwick, where she also obtained her Doctorate with Warwick Institute for Science of Cities (WISC). 

Vikki’s research aims to understand the ways in which spaces and places embody inequalities, and the social structures influencing how people relate to their environment, with particular interest in how urban landscapes impact health and wellbeing. More specifically, she approaches urban challenges, such as greenspace, mental health, ageing, peripheralisation and migration, through geospatial methods and theory which draws on her interdisciplinary background in urban science, data analytics, engineering and geography. As well as quantitative spatio-temporal analysis, she works with community groups, practitioners and local government, to understand and improve individual experiences of the built environment.

In her spare time, she enjoys baking, travel, and anything that involves being outdoors. 

 

Responsibilities

  • Programme Lead for MSc Urban Data Science and Analytics
<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 Urban Science, 2019, University of Warwick
  • MSc in Data Analytics, 2015, University of Warwick
  • MEng in Civil Engineering, 2014, University of Warwick

Professional memberships

  • AFHAE- Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Turing Fellow at the Alan Turing Insitute

Student education

I am Programme Lead for the MSc in Urban Data Science and Analytics, which launched in Autumn 2021

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>