Dr Olivia Hamilton, PHIRST Fusion Research Fellow

Olivia is a Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow’s School of Health & Wellbeing, where she works on evaluations of complex public health interventions and research exploring the social and economic determinants of health. She is interested in how public health interventions and policies impact population health, and in supporting practical, evidence-informed approaches to reducing health inequalities.

Olivia joined PHIRST Fusion in 2025 and previously worked with the Glasgow Health Determinants Research Collaboration, in close partnership with Glasgow City Council to build capacity in the use of data and evidence in council decision-making. She is a mixed methods researcher with expertise in evaluability assessment, deliberative methodologies, and experience analysing large-scale longitudinal cohort data and linked administrative datasets. Her approach emphasises stakeholder engagement and collaborative research design, working closely with local authority partners, third sector organisations, and community groups.

Olivia’s research bridges neuroscience and public health. She completed her PhD in Translational Neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh. Supported by a Wellcome Trust studentship, her work investigated the cognitive changes associated with stroke and dementia and she still maintains a strong interest in cognitive ageing.

Beyond research, Olivia is actively involved in building evaluation capacity within at a community level through a monthly Evaluation Surgery at the University of Glasgow’s Byres Community Hub.