I was trained in public health nutrition (Master Public Health, University of Berkeley at California, USA) and public health policy analysis (PhD at LSHTM). I joined LSHTM in 2007 after working at the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, in food and nutrition policy.   

At LSHTM, I am Head of the Department of Health Services Research and Policy, in the Faculty of Public Health and Policy.  

I am Director of the Food Policy Impact Lab, a group of researchers and doctoral students with a programme of research comprising: evaluations of public private partnerships and food industry led self-regulation; and analyses of the process, and impact, of the growing influence of large food corporations in health, in England and abroad. We use a range of methods including policy evaluation, qualitative research, such as qualitative systems methods. 

As Deputy Director Health Improvement of the 5-year Policy Innovation and Evaluation Research Unit (PIRU), we are completing work on food provision in early years (childcare) settings in England, and conducting a process evaluation of the UKHSA's 2023 Adverse Weather and Health Plan across local health and social care organisations in England.

I lead a Gates-funded project (via the IMMANA programme) on the use of qualitative systems methods to examine food industry involvement in emergency food assistance in Lebanon. I supervise several doctoral students.

I am the Chair of the Interests and Interactions Review Group of the UKPRP-funded SPECTRUM consortium on the commercial determinants of health, and contribute to work on systems approaches.