Close
The current Researchers in Residence programme supports UCL research staff in placements within OHID and City Hall.
Meet the 2025-2026 Fellows
Head of Communications and Impact, University Policy Engagement Network
Robyn looks after all University Policy Engagement Network’s (UPEN) external communications. That means she's the one who oversees UPEN’s website, newsletter, LinkedIn presence, and she also handles UPEN’s brand and media relations. Robyn is also responsible for all the communications, case studies, and stories that will be coming from UPEN Programmes.
Before joining UPEN, Robyn managed the multi-partner project, Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE). She holds a PhD from the University of Sheffield in medieval history.
Fellowship Host Organisation: OHID
Fellowship Project: Evaluating Food/Nutrition-related Messaging and Behaviour Change Campaigns in London Boroughs. Robyn is evaluating messaging strategies through a health literacy and equity lens. The project aligns with local and national priorities including the 10-Year Health Plan for England, the ambition to halve childhood obesity, and London’s broader focus on prevention, inclusion, and systems change.
Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Health.
Emily is a medical sociologist whose work incorporates both applied and sociological approaches to public health research, using qualitative methods to explore the key issues in HIV and emerging infections.
She joined UCL in June 2021 and contributes to a range of studies on HIV, sexual health and pandemic preparedness.
Prior to joining UCL, Emily was a Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, where she contributed to several research teams within the Faculty of Public Health and Policy. Before that, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Sociology Department at Goldsmiths, University in London.
Emily is the Social Science Lead at the NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections (HPRU BBSTI), a collaboration between researchers at UCL and UK Health Security Agency. She also serves on the editorial board of Sociology of Health and Illness.
Fellowship Host Organisation: OHID
Fellowship Project: HIV Fast-Track Cities Initiative. Emily is assessing the effectiveness and legacy of the London HIV Fast-Track Cities initiative, The study will examine how collaboration between local government, the NHS, UKHSA, community organisations, and people living with HIV has contributed to progress in prevention, testing, treatment, and stigma reduction
Senior Psychology Research Technical Lead
Vassilis is a developmental psychologist and mental-health researcher. His work focuses on how mental health, support systems, and social disadvantage shape the development and wellbeing of under-represented groups, including individuals with less visible or less studied neurodivergences. He uses large-scale data, co-production, and rigorous methods to generate evidence that is both robust and directly relevant to policy and practice. He is based at the Institute of Education (UCL), where his work aims to support more inclusive, evidence-informed decision-making that improves outcomes for children and families.
Fellowship Host Organisation: GLA
Fellowship Project: Child health and poverty. Vassilis is exploring the implications of the strategy for GLA’s work and consider key questions on health impact in depth
Research Fellow in Behavioural Science and Health, Behavioural Science and Health
Eve’s work currently focuses on investigating the use of non-cigarette tobacco using nationally representative survey data and qualitative focus group methods.
Fellowship Host Organisation: GLA
Fellowship Project: Health Improvements. Eve will be building on post-COVID recovery efforts to explore how regional action can best support the health of Londoners. She will lead a project to identify and prioritise areas where coordinated, city-wide initiatives could add meaningful value to public health outcomes.
Dr Harpreet Singh Chawla
Lecturer in Economics at the UCL Social Research Institute
Harpreet specialises in applied microeconomics, public policy analysis, and quantitative evaluation methods. His work focuses on understanding how policies shape behavioural outcomes and how data‑driven evidence can improve decision‑making in government settings. He has previously contributed to policy research with national and regional bodies, including work related to health, education, and labour‑market interventions.
Harpreet is passionate about strengthening the links between research and practice and supporting policymakers to use rigorous evidence in designing and assessing programmes. Alongside his academic role, he has extensive experience working directly with students, researchers, and practitioners to translate technical findings into clear, accessible insights for diverse audiences.
Fellowship host organisataion: GLA
Fellowship project: Health Improvements
Harpreet is contributing analytical expertise to understand where regional action can most effectively improve the health of Londoners. His fellowship aims to bring together quantitative evidence, stakeholder engagement, and strategic insight to inform future policy and programme development across London.
Meet the 2024-2025 Cohort
RiRs were embedded within OHID or London City Hall, working on collaborative projects within both organisations.
Ruth was a Senior Research Fellow at UCL's Department of Primary Care and Population Health. She is now a Senior Research Fellow in digital Health at Kings College London.
with a background in psychology. Her current research focuses on the impact of social media on young people's mental health. Recently, she completed a NIHR Three Schools’ Mental Health Programme Fellowship at UCL, where she investigated the relationship between social media use and young adults' mental health, and explored how primary care can better support their mental well-being.
Fellowship: Understanding how environment affects children and young people’s mental health and health with the GLA
Senior Research Fellow in the Collaborative Centre of Inclusion Health (CCIH) in the UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care.
Dr. Rachel Burns (she/her) is an anthropologist and epidemiologist, who conducts research on migration and inclusion health. She gained a BA in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, holds an MSc in the Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases, and PhD in Epidemiology and Public Health from UCL. She has experience in conducting large-scale epidemiology studies using administrative health records, mixed methods research, and employs coproduction principles across all stages of the research process. She is the chair of the DOTW UK Expert Consortium of Refugee and Migrant Health and leads the UCL Homelessness and Inclusion Health module.
Fellowship: Improving evidence generation for community centred approaches to drive health equity
Senior Research Fellow in Social Policy & Gerontology, Epidemiology & Public Health
Dr Brian Beach has worked at the intersection of policy and research on ageing for 19 years, with a key interest in later-life employment, retirement, and early labour market exit.
Project Descriptions: Increasing economic activity through better health and skills.
Supervisor: Elaine Rashbrook (OHID)
Associate Lecturer (Mental Health), Institute of Epidemiology & Health.
Fran’s background is in Medical Anthropology & Interpersonal Psychology. Trained as Intentional Peer Support Worker and as psychodynamic child & adolescent counselling psychotherapist, Fran’s clinical work focuses on the complexities of identity, agency, and social relations.
Fellowship: Community-Centred Approaches for Infants, Children, & Young People Mental Health Prevention
Outputs:
Collaborative Conversations workshop: see the report here.
Related Links: