Niamh Shortt

Niamh Shortt is a Professor at the School of Geosciences, focusing on how environmental factors influence health outcomes. She co-directs the Centre for Environment, Society and Health (CRESH) and leads projects funded by EPSRC, ERC, ESRC, and NERC.

• PhD in Health Geography (University of Ulster, 2002)
• BSc in Geography (University of Ulster, 1998)

Her research spans alcohol and tobacco environments, retail density, and health inequalities, using mixed-methods and geospatial analysis. Recent work includes tobacco tax pass-through in deprived areas and stakeholder perceptions of alcohol policy.

Key scientific awards include:

• Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (2022)
• President’s Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (2020)

She investigates how area effects and social-natural environment interactions drive health disparities, with projects like Exploring the retail availability of new nicotine products in Scotland (2024–2026).