About

My research sits at the boundary between the social and computational sciences; extending a tradition of area classification within Urban Analytics and Geographic Data Science. I have developed methods for spatial indicator construction and geodemographic classification that prioritise transparency and reproducibility; and have maintained a critical perspective on how such systems can be refined for effective yet ethical use in public resource allocation. This work has developed from substantive interests in the social, spatial and temporal dimensions of urban systems; specifically focused on inequalities of opportunity and access. Some themes from my work are presented on this page, but you can find all of my publications here. Much of this work has been supported or delivered collaborative with a series of fantastic collaborators!

Geodemographics & Neighbourhood Classification

A substantial component of my research addresses the methodological foundations of geodemographic classification. I have argued that commercial systems, which typically operate as opaque “black box” products, are poorly suited to public sector applications where accountability and scientific reproducibility are paramount. In response, I have contributed to the development of open classification frameworks and 2011 and 2021 national Output Area Classifications and the London equivalents. I am interested in refining methods, such as automated variable selection and recent work has focused on using deep learning approaches and learned representations; exploring how such techniques might capture non-linear complexities in residential differentiation whilst maintaining the interpretability essential for policy applications.

Health, Environment & Accessibility

Understanding how spatial context shapes health outcomes has been a sustained research interest. The Access to Healthy Assets and Hazards (AHAH) index is a comprehensive national dataset measuring neighbourhood-level access to health-promoting and health-harming environmental features across Great Britain. This framework encompasses retail environment exposures, health service accessibility, green space provision, and air quality. Related work has operationalised 20-minute neighbourhood frameworks and examined associations between mobility patterns and urban air pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Retail Geography & Urban Economic Systems

The structural transformation of retail centres and consumption spaces represents another research focus. I have produced multidimensional classifications of UK retail centres that move beyond simple hierarchical models to capture the fragmented, polycentric character of contemporary retail networks; including analysis of retail centre vulnerability to e-commerce and post-pandemic retail restructuring.

Education & Widening Participation

I have applied geodemographic methods extensively to examine geographic inequalities in educational opportunity; including higher education participation patterns, student course choice behaviours, and contextual factors in medical school admissions. Recent work has quantified Brexit impacts on EU student applications, identifying significant heterogeneity across institution types and subject areas.

Financial Vulnerability & Digital Inclusion

This work extends into the geography of economic insecurity; developing geodemographic classifications of financial precarity that maps spatial inequalities between urban and rural contexts, metropolitan cores and peripheries. Earlier work established empirical connections between material deprivation and digital exclusion, demonstrating how neighbourhood characteristics mediate patterns of technology adoption; including the development of an Internet User Classifictaion.

Current Research Directions

Current research continues to develop composite spatial indicators for equitable policy formulation; including work on sustainable transport equity and energy deprivation. This work is developed through co-production with policymakers to ensure research outputs translate into targeted interventions addressing compound spatial inequalities. More generally, I have interests supporting the public understanding of science through online interfaces to data, and I am a strong advocate of open data, open software and open publishing.