Phoebe Spencer

Phoebe Spencer serves as an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Human Sciences at The University of Western Australia. Her research spans interdisciplinary fields connecting anthropology, public health, and nutritional science with a geographic focus on Timor-Leste.

Her research interests center on child growth patterns, nutritional status, and health outcomes in rural Timor-Leste, with particular attention to household dynamics, food security, and life course perspectives. Spencer's work examines how socioeconomic factors, dietary diversity, and seasonal variations impact child development in resource-limited settings.

• Child growth metrics and anthropometry
• Household dietary patterns and food security
• Life history and reproductive health
• Rural health systems in developing countries
• Urban-rural health disparities

Analysis of Spencer's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on Timor-Leste with growing interest in vaccine safety monitoring in Western Australia. Her most cited work appears to be the 2023 Nature publication examining urban living benefits for child growth, which has received significant policy attention.

Spencer has been actively involved in research grants, most notably as Investigator 02 on the project "Reframing and communicating the results of longitudinal study of rural children's growth in Timor-Leste to address policy and development outcomes" (January 2020-June 2023), which received substantial media attention across 39 news outlets and social media platforms.