We are delighted to announce Rhiannon Williams as one of our Data Impact Fellows for 2023. In this post Rhiannon shares a bit about her background, her current work and research and what she hopes to get out of the Fellows scheme.
About me and my background
I am a final year PhD student in the Sheffield Methods Institute at the University of Sheffield, as part of the ESRC Data Analytics and Society CDT. The programme includes an integrated MSc in Data Analytics russia rcs data and Society. Before joining the SMI, my background was in libraries and information studies. I undertook an MA in Librarianship at the University of Sheffield Information School, during which I became interested in how the worlds of data and social issues intersect. My PhD project has enabled me to explore this intersection by looking at the relationship between housing insecurity and welfare policy in England through a data analytics lens. Alongside my research, I also support quantitative skills teaching in the SMI.
My PhD project is in partnership with the housing charity Shelter. This relationship with Shelter means that my research questions have been informed by conversations with Shelter housing practitioners and insights from Shelter call data. By aligning my research with real-world experiences, I have been able to make impact central to my project and produce practical outputs for use in Shelter’s work throughout the project. I am now keen to expand the usability and impact of my work, enabling other housing practitioners and policy-makers to make use of findings as part of a wider effort to combat housing insecurity and support vulnerable people.