I am a quantitative social scientist and Director of the Centre of Methods and Policy Application in the Social Sciences (COMPASS). My research focusses on using life-course data to identify predictors for health and wellbeing outcomes, particularly in the areas on mental health. My areas of expertise include micro-simulation, administrative data, longitudinal studies, socio-economic and ethnic inequalities and child development.

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My research interests are diverse, with the overarching theme of using administrative and survey data to promote equitable and sustainable outcomes in society. I have a particular focus on wellbeing outcomes over the lifespan. Key topics of interest include:
1. Supporting maternal mental health
2. ADHD support and outcomes
3. Treatment and outcomes associated with psychiatric conditions over the lifespan
4. Understanding the health needs of Asian New Zealanders
5. Exploring long-term health outcomes of contact sport athletes

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Health service researcher with a background in Psychology and a special interest in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Qualifications: PhD Health Service Research (King’s College London, 2012)

Areas of Expertise: Psychology; Health services research; Cognitive development; Autism spectrum disorder; Intellectual disability; Rare disorders

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My doctoral degree in health science was awarded by the University of Auckland in 2011. For this award, I investigated the risk factors for obesity among Pacific high school students aged 13-18 years, and the role of the church in obesity prevention. I am recognised for working with collaborative, trans-disciplinary, and multi-disciplinary research teams, and applying both qualitative and quantitative research skills and Pacific health models in the different projects I have led. I continue to pursue other research opportunities in the humanities and medical and health sciences targeting better health and wellbeing outcomes for Pacific Peoples, across the life span. Because of the esteem that stakeholders have for my research, I have been invited to provide strategic advice to key agencies both nationally and internationally. This work and my strong connections with Pacific Peoples have also culminated in collaborative partnerships to reinforce and grow my research platform, and services to community.

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I am a post-doctoral research fellow at COMPASS. My main research area is quantitative social science, with a focus on using linked data to understand inequities.

I completed my PhD at the start of 2023. It examined different approaches to measuring family socioeconomic position, and was supervised by Dr Nichola Shackleton, (now) Professor Barry Milne, and Professor Thomas Lumley. I previously completed a BA with a double major in Statistics and Psychology, a BA(Hons) in Statistics, and a Masters in Public Policy.

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I am a sociologist specialising in inequality, public policy, neurodivergence, and mental health. My research incorporates training in quantitative, computational, demographic, and historical-comparative methods, as well as in psychology, politics, and economics.

I hold a PhD in Sociology and Social Policy from Princeton University, where I was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, and an MA in Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences from Columbia University, where I was a US-UK Fulbright Scholar. Before graduate study, I served as a Senior Policy Adviser on economics, social policy, and public services in the UK Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit.

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I’ve been working at COMPASS since 2005, when it started as the Social Statistics Research Group. I have worked extensively with census data and projects involving the IDI; I have been involved in organising short courses through our New Zealand Social Statistics Network (NZSSN); I have administered mail surveys for the New Zealand Election Study (NZES) and the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), as well as other contracted surveys; I have been involved in teaching in social science research methods, through Sociology, Politics, Public Policy, and Social Work; and I am responsible for keeping content updated on this website.

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I am currently pursuing a PhD focused on neurodegenerative disease and mental health outcomes among high-level New Zealand rugby players. My research interests are broad, with particular focus on topics such as neurodivergence, chronic health conditions, and maternal mental health.

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My work has a strong social impact in terms of equity and research impact through partner engagement and knowledge mobilisation. I prefer to work directly with communities to improve their wellbeing. My work also produces recommendations for improved policies and procedures in a range of areas, including social justice, infrastructure, health and technology. I also work with a number of research collaborators on environmental, health and technology policy and implementation, including projects about Kaumātua (Māori elders) and intergenerational homes, Māori and Pacific pathways in STEM, digital twins, health reform, and preventing family violence.

I work directly with ministries, organisations, and other agencies on issues of health, gender, environmental, Indigenous and technology policy and practice. I advise colleagues and communities on knowledge dissemination, mobilisation and exchange, as well as practical implementation pathways through hui, wānanga and academic and media outputs.

My background includes project management, research delivery, financial administration, contract management, portfolio management and leadership in public and private sectors.

As a former teacher, I am passionate about education, research translation and impact, and making a positive contribution to child and youth development and wellbeing.

 

I am most passionate about broad-scope public-interest research that positively contributes to people and the planet. From August 2020 to June 2024, as a research fellow with COMPASS, I designed and implemented quantitative measures to explore socio-environmental aspects of COVID-19 in representative surveys in New Zealand (International Social Survey Programme, ISSP) and Australia (YouGov). These included vaccine hesitancy, vaccine mandates, vaccine procurement and distribution policies, and the pandemic’s impact on time use and wellbeing (including unpaid care work). Additionally, I led cross-time and cross-country attitudinal research based on the ISSP Role of Government and ISSP Social Inequality modules offering insights of relevance to inter-country relationships in an era of increasing globalisation.

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Areas of Expertise: Epidemiology, Population Health, Longitudinal studies, Refugees’ resettlement, Family Violence, Childhood Obesity.

Since 2019 July, I have worked as a Research Fellow with Department of Paediatrics, Social, and Community Health (Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences), and School of Counselling, Human Services, and Social Work at the University of Auckland.

My recent research focus has been on refugees and their settlement outcomes in New Zealand at the School of Counselling and Human Resources, Faculty of Education, University of Auckland, which involves working with large data sets in the IDI.

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I am a statistics enthusiast and passionate about statistics education. My stats education interests include: teaching and assessing ethical professional practice and writing for statisticians, computation and programming, online learning, supporting student mental health, building undergraduate student community, large classroom teaching and innovative assessments.

My research background is in understanding how people’s social and economic experiences relate to risk of death in Aotearoa New Zealand, using longitudinally linked census data. I also used to run a small consulting company, the Data Embassy, working with a range of business, education, and not-for-profit clients.

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I recently completed my PhD in Statistics, in which I investigated linkage errors in the IDI using Census and Education data and documented the low-level of bias caused by linkage errors when using these two data sources. I previously completed my MSc in Statistics, investigating educational achievement as a function of mode of birth delivery.

My areas of expertise include IDI research, microsimulation, and data visualisation.

I am a Research Fellow at the Economic Policy Centre, and hold a PhD in Economics from the University of Auckland. My research interests encompass urban economics and social mobility, with a particular focus on understanding how inequality of opportunity can hinder social mobility, especially for children from low-income families. Additionally, I am interested in the geographical polarisation of economic outcomes including income inequality and income mobility.

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I have a passion for providing data-driven insights that can improve healthcare. I have been fortunate to contribute the quantitative aspects to an Ageing Well National Science Challenge study focused on Pacific brain health through my research role with the Langimalie Research Centre.

My background is in human genetics and biostatistics, and my research interests lie in using various modalities of data to inform precision medicine applications. My PhD research examined the use of genetic information to inform precision diabetes for Māori and Pacific populations in Aotearoa New Zealand.