Nicholas J. Osborne

Associate Professor Nicholas J. Osborne is Theme Leader for Environmental Health Epidemiology at the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), University of Queensland, and Program Director for the Masters of Environmental Health Sciences. Previously affiliated with the Universities of NSW, Sydney, Exeter, Melbourne, Portsmouth, and Flinders, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and Cancer Council Victoria, he maintains active roles through UQ's research centers.

His academic background includes:

• BSc (Honors) in Science
• MAgSc (Master of Agricultural Science)
• PhD from the School of Population Health, University of Queensland, focused on cyanobacterial toxins and public health effects in southeast Queensland

Dr. Osborne specializes in environmental epidemiology examining disease etiology through exposure assessment. Key areas include pollen-respiratory health linkages, chronic kidney disease in low- and middle-income countries, greenspace benefits (metabolic health, vitamin D), indoor air quality (mold, asthma), and climate change impacts (heatwaves, ENSO). His methodology integrates primary data collection (HealthNuts, Cornwall Housing Study) and secondary cohort analysis (UK Biobank, NHANES), using regression models and structural equation analysis to map exposure pathways.

Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal dominant trends: 7/15 works analyze greenspace health effects via UK Biobank, 5/15 address heatwave vulnerability in Australia, and 3/15 investigate pollen-climate interactions. Studies consistently employ interdisciplinary approaches linking environmental data with health outcomes, emphasizing mediation analysis and climate attribution.

Dr. Osborne has supervised 6 PhD students to completion (2 primary, 4 co-supervisor) and currently mentors 4 PhD candidates. Editorial roles include:

• Associate Editor, Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health (since 2011)
• Editorial Board, International Journal of Epidemiology
• Editorial Board, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Editorial Board, Pediatric Allergy, Immunology and Pulmonology

Research projects span HealthIron (iron overload), HealthNuts (food allergy), PollerGEN (pollen DNA), and Sri Lanka CKDu studies.

As Theme Leader at QAEHS, he directs the Environmental Health Epidemiology team and collaborates with the Minderoo Centre on plastic pollution research. His work integrates environmental data linkage, field studies, and big data mashups (e.g., MEDMI project) for population health analysis.