UKRI AHRC- NSF SBE: Spatial organization, urbanization and drivers of health and longevity

This project investigates patterns of human health and longevity across major shifts in group organization and technology. The investigators, a collaborative team of researchers from the US and UK, combine historical and biological data to track activity, disease and nutrition, and morbidity and mortality patterns across regions and levels of urbanization. The project supports undergraduate student training in biotechnological and AI-supported spatial methods and advances frameworks for understanding the relationship between built environments, health and prosperity. This award is made through the NSF-UKRI lead agency opportunity. This industrial bioarchaeology project combines individual and population level historical records with biological and demographic data across a number of sites. The investigators combine data on age, sex, and pathological conditions with spatial data as well as published demographic and mortality statistics. The combined data add to our understanding of acute and chronic conditions and overall population health. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.