Frank Chen

Profile

I am a PhD researcher with the Healthy and Sustainable Places (HASP) Data Service, one of the Smart Data Research UK services based at the University of Leeds. My interests span the social sciences and medicine, including questions such as the relationship between nature and nurture. I began my research career in genetics, then broadened my expertise into AI and data science, before moving towards research on how social norms and public policy shape individual behaviour and population health. I am particularly interested in data-driven approaches that help reduce bias in social research.

My PhD project examines the relationship between food behaviours and health outcomes, using retailer sales data alongside health outcome data from the National Health Service (NHS). The project aims to identify inequalities and inform more targeted interventions. The project is supervised by Professor Michelle Morris, Professor Nik Lomax and Dr Stephen Clark. Alongside my PhD, I have also contributed to research in health data science and health economics with collaborators in China and the United States. I am open to opportunities for collaboration in these areas. You can also find more about my work on my blog.

Research interests

My research focus lies within health geography, where I explore how the lived environment shapes health outcomes. Health data scientists and economists often overlook contextual factors, which can lead to unobserved heterogeneity and weak causal inference. My aim is to address these challenges using place-based data from HASP and beyond, generating robust evidence for targeted interventions.

Keywords:

• Health Geography
• Health Economics
• Quantitative Methods
• Social Medicine
• Social Prescribing

Qualifications

• MSc International Health Policy
• MSc Biomedical Data Science
• BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences