Jennifer Badham

Dr Jennifer Badham is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Durham University, affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health. She serves as the Director of MA Social Research Methods and Programme Lead for the MDS (Health Data Science) at the Durham Research Methods Centre. Her research focuses on computational methods for complex systems, network diffusion, public engagement, and social network structure.

• Education: PhD in Computational Social Science (Durham University)
• Prior roles: Postdoctoral positions at University of Surrey, Queen's University Belfast, and Durham University; Senior Health Policy Advisor in Australia

Dr Badham's research explores how social structures influence the spread of ideas, diseases, and behaviors. She employs and extends methods from complexity science, including agent-based modeling and network analysis, with a particular interest in the role of models in policy processes and public engagement.

Her recent publications highlight trends in agent-based modeling for health policy, network analysis for behavior interventions, and participatory methods in qualitative research. She emphasizes synthetic network generation, simulation of diffusion processes, and interdisciplinary modeling frameworks.

Scientific Awards

• Fellow, Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing (Durham University)

Dr Badham supervises postgraduate research students, including Tengpeng Zhang. Her current projects include a major MRC-funded grant (£528,850) to develop socially realistic synthetic networks for health and epidemic modeling. She has contributed to environmental modeling frameworks and health communication through computational approaches.