Dr Oliver Davis
BA(Cantab.), MSc(Nott.), MSc(Kings College London), PhD(Kings College London), PGCert(Kings College London)
Expertise
I develop data science and AI approaches to complex problems in human behaviour and mental health, working with big data from genomes to social media, and I make both methods and outcomes engaging to the widest possible audience.
Current positions
Reader in Biomedical Data Science
Epidemiology and Health Data Science
Contact
Press and media
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Research interests
Mental health and wellbeing are influenced by a complex interplay of social, genomic and developmental factors. Understanding these patterns and how we can intervene to promote good mental health is one of the greatest and most important challenges of our time.
Our lab uses emerging technologies to collect, analyse and visualize data from large population samples around the world, exploring the dynamic relationship between social and genomic factors and wellbeing over the life course. Recent projects from the lab include the spACE project which is mapping geographical variation in social and genetic influences on complex traits, and the EMBERS project which is collecting millions of social media interactions from thousands of participants in epidemiological cohorts to track dynamic genetic and environmental influences on wellbeing in emerging adulthood.
Projects and supervisions
Research projects
Medical Experts as Social Media Influencers of Networks of Practice in the Fight Against COVID-19
Principal Investigator
Role
Principal Investigator
Description
Medical experts who act as influencers on social media have the power to influence public trust in public health guidance. Despite their influence, the role of medical experts in shaping…Dates
31/01/2022 to 04/07/2022
The Digital Epidemiology of Social Media Behaviour and Mental Wellbeing in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)
Principal Investigator
Description
PhD ProjectManaging organisational unit
School of Engineering Mathematics and TechnologyDates
01/09/2021 to 20/12/2025
Mood music: using Spotify to infer wellbeing
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Dates
12/12/2019 to 01/07/2020
v3 (MRC IEU) ALSPAC B2934 CLOSER Social Media Framework
Principal Investigator
Managing organisational unit
Bristol Medical School (PHS)Dates
01/06/2018 to 31/07/2019
Thesis supervisions
Positive Mental Health and Resilience in Young People
Supervisors
Geographical gene-environment interaction and correlation for mental health in the UK and Sweden
Supervisors
Mental health data science in rich longitudinal cohort studies
Supervisors
Understanding wellbeing within a policy relevant framework
Supervisors
Visual and gamified approaches to understanding complex causal networks in human health
Supervisors
The Mood Music study
Supervisors
The Digital Epidemiology of Social Media Behaviour and Mental Wellbeing in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)
Supervisors
Publications
Recent publications
09/03/2026Dynamics of Emotion Expression in Tweets Are Associated With Depression and Anxiety
Emotion
Leveraging transdiagnostic genetic liability to psychiatric disorders to dissect clinical outcomes of anorexia nervosa
Molecular Psychiatry
Ecological Momentary Assessment of Mood: Reliability and Validity of a brief measure
Ecological Momentary Assessment of Mood
Active night-time tweeting is associated with meaningfully lower mental wellbeing in a UK birth cohort study
Scientific Reports
Linking digital footprint data into longitudinal population studies
International Journal of Population Data Science
Related people
Professor Nicholas Timpson
Professor of Genetic Epidemiology
Epidemiology and Health Data Science
Professor George Davey Smith
Professor of Clinical Epidemiology
Epidemiology and Health Data Science
Professor Claire Haworth
Professor of Behavioural Genetics
School of Psychology and Neuroscience
Dr Robyn Wootton
Senior Lecturer
School of Psychology and Neuroscience
Dr Nina Di Cara
Senior Research Associate
School of Psychology and Neuroscience