Congratulations to Chiara Gericke, PhD student in the Department of Behavioural Science & Health, for being named a runner-up for the GoFundGeo Award at this year’s GISRUK Conference.

Congratulations to Chiara Gericke, PhD student in the REAcH Group, on receiving the Prize for Public Engagement and Science Communication at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO). 

Chiara was recognised for her outstanding ability to communicate complex research to non-academic audiences. She presented key findings from her PhD, supervised by Professor Clare Llewellyn, which explored whether fast-food outlets tend to cluster around schools and how this clustering relates to rates of childhood obesity. Chiara was awarded £3,000 for her research and a £600 travel bursary for the ECO 2026 Conference.

The judging panel was impressed by Chiara’s clear and compelling approach to translating complex epidemiological and environmental data into messages that resonate beyond academia. By actively engaging with local authorities and drawing attention to the impact of the food environment on children’s health, her work stands as a powerful example of research that not only informs but also drives meaningful change at the policy and community level.