Katie Goldie
I am a Human Geographer with research interests in human-animal relations. I am excited about bringing my expertise in qualitative methods to the HCC Catapult Scheme, where I will be gathering and analyzing insights from individuals who have utilized local mental health services. By conducting focus groups with recent service users, my aim is to identify what is effective and where enhancements can be implemented.
Nandini Das
Nandini Das (she/her) is a PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at the University of Southampton. Her PhD research explores various approaches to empowerment within state and non-state actors’ policies and interventions and how that impacts the lives of women in unfree labour relations in the handloom industry of Assam (India). Previously, Nandini has worked on issues of gender, sexuality, education, and livelihood in the South Asian context through research, training and capacity building interventions with grassroots-based NGOs and CSRs.
Pheobe Miles
Phoebe Miles is a Registered Adult Nurse and Lecturer at the University of Southampton with specialist skills in Public Health. Before transitioning to academia, Phoebe worked as a nurse in critical care and oncology research. Phoebe has recently completed a PhD on the implementation of smoking cessation services in Chinese hospital settings; she spent four years living in China before returning to Southampton as a lecturer, where her research focuses on health behaviours. Phoebe is actively involved in nursing education and serves as the module lead for Global and Public Health as well as Research Methods modules for pre-registration nursing students. She is also a qualified trainer in Make Every Contact Count (MECC) healthy conversation skills, reinforcing her dedication to health promotion and education.
Phoebe is looking forward to engaging with key stakeholders as part of the HCC Catapult Scheme, where she will be working on improving access to drug and alcohol services among underserved groups. Phoebe is excited to learn innovative strategies to address health disparities and enhance service delivery.
Naziah Choudhury
I am a PhD student specializing in cell and developmental biology, with a keen interest in mitochondrial quality control and inflammatory pathways. Through the Local Evidence Catapult programme with Hampshire County Council (HCC) 2024, I am eager to apply my research skills to real-world challenges and gain insights into evidence-based decision-making. I look forward to bridging my scientific background with local governance to contribute meaningfully to community projects and policy development.
Nestor Serrano
Nestor is a nurse and researcher driven to uncover environmental factors influencing public health. After earning his nursing degree at the University of Oviedo (Spain) in 2013, he completed a Master's in Social and Health Research at the University of Leon (Spain). Nestor then brought his passion for nursing to the United Kingdom, serving as a cardiac nurse in Plymouth and Southampton. In 2023, he obtained a PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Southampton, authoring a thesis on multilevel environments and health behaviours in UK adults with obesity. Currently, Nestor is a Senior Research Fellow at Southampton, leading an NIHR-funded project to foster discussion on how we can get more public attention on the power big food companies and the government have on citizens’ diets while exploring technological solutions.
Being part of the Local Evidence Catapult programme and working closely with the Hampshire County Council Public Health Team, Nestor hopes to obtain a more nuanced understanding of how public health priorities are set; the challenges and realities local authorities navigate daily; how evidence is translated into practice, and how decisions are made in real-world settings. He is excited about the potential opportunity to collaborate with policymakers and other stakeholders, learn from their expertise, and equip himself with insights and skills to keep learning about how to bridge the gap between research and policy and ensure his future work is more relevant and impactful.
Sima Farkohnejad