Dr. Sabrina Li

Dr. Sabrina Li

Assistant Professor in Quantitative Geography

University of Nottingham

About Me

I am a quantitative medical geographer in the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham. My research investigates the interactions between human health and the physical, social, and built environments. In particular, I am interested in understanding why certain populations are more susceptible to diseases and ill health than others, and the assessment of differential health impacts experienced by disadvantaged populations. Most of my work focuses on the social and environmental determinants of health. To address the complexity of these research areas, I utilise large spatial data sets and tools from GIS and quantitative methods. In 2022, I was recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of 30 under 30 in Science and Healthcare for Europe.

Download my CV .

Interests
  • Spatial Epidemiology
  • Geographic Data Science
  • Geographical Inequalities in Health and Wellbeing
Education

  • DPhil in Geography, 2021

    University of Oxford

  • MSc in Geography, 2017

    University of Waterloo

  • BASc in Environmental Engineering, 2015

    University of Waterloo

Current Projects

Scale of Harm: Estimating the Prevalence of Online Child Sexual Exploitation in the Philippines
Building on an earlier project to design a prevalence estimation methodology, we are implementing this methodology in the Philippines. Our data science method rooted in national surveys for estimating the prevalence of TCSEM (the trafficking of children to produce child sexual exploitation materials) will be implemented at two time points to enable shifts in prevalence to be monitored.
Link
Scale of Harm: Estimating the Prevalence of Online Child Sexual Exploitation in the Philippines
Yellow Fever Virus in Brazil: Past, present, and future
Yellow fever virus (YFV) is an arbovirus transmitted to humans from mosquitoes and can lead to severe disease and death. Recent sporadic outbreaks coupled with low vaccination coverage in Brazil have highlighted the importance of mosquito surveillance for preventing future outbreaks and potential virus spillover into dense urban areas.
Link
Yellow Fever Virus in Brazil: Past, present, and future

Recent & Upcoming Talks

TBD
TBD
Feb 8, 2024 — Feb 9, 2024 University of Liverpool, UK
TBD
Lucerne Dialogue Basecamp
An impact driven programme bringing together 45 under 45 leaders in business, science, and politics to develop ways of creating a …
Nov 22, 2023 — Nov 24, 2022 Lucerne, Switzerland
Lucerne Dialogue Basecamp
Ideas Salon: The Biggest Breakthroughs
We all know the birth of great productions begins with impassioned conversations. Pioneers on the cutting edge of some of the hottest …
Nov 28, 2022 3:45 PM — 4:45 PM BBC Scotland, 40 Pacific Quay
Ideas Salon: The Biggest Breakthroughs

Publications

Quickly discover relevant content by filtering publications.
Sabrina L Li, Jane P Messina, Oliver G Pybus, Moritz UG Kraemer, Lauren Gardner (2022). A review of models applied to the geographic spread of Zika virus. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

DOI

Mengfan Wu, Qiwei Yu, Sabrina L Li, Liqiang Zhang (2022). Geographic and gender disparities in global education achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation.

DOI

William Marciel de Souza, Lewis Fletcher Buss, Darlan da Silva Candido, Jean-Paul Carrera, Sabrina Li, Alexander E Zarebski (2022). Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the COVID-19 epidemic in Brazil. Nature Human Behaviour.

DOI

Sabrina L Li, André L Acosta, Sarah C Hill, Oliver J Brady, Marco AB de Almeida, Jader da C Cardoso, Arran Hamlet, Luis F Mucci, Juliana Telles de Deus, Felipe CM Iani, Neil S Alexander, GR William Wint, Oliver G Pybus, Moritz UG Kraemer, Nuno R Faria, Jane P Messina (2022). Mapping environmental suitability of Haemagogus and Sabethes spp. mosquitoes to understand sylvatic transmission risk of yellow fever virus in Brazil. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

DOI

Sabrina L Li, Rafael HM Pereira, Carlos A Prete Jr, Alexander E Zarebski, Lucas Emanuel, Pedro JH Alves, Pedro S Peixoto, Carlos KV Braga, Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos, William M de Souza, Rogerio J Barbosa, Lewis F Buss, Alfredo Mendrone, Cesar de Almeida-Neto, Suzete C Ferreira, Nanci A Salles, Izabel Marcilio, Chieh-Hsi Wu, Nelson Gouveia, Vitor H Nascimento, Ester C Sabino, Nuno R Faria, Jane P Messina (2021). Higher risk of death from COVID-19 in low-income and non-White populations of São Paulo, Brazil. BMJ Global Health.

DOI

Media

Forbes 30 under 30
Europe Science and Technology, 2022
Article
Forbes 30 under 30
The need for open data sharing in the era of global pandemics
LSE Impact Blog
Blog Article
The need for open data sharing in the era of global pandemics
COVID-19 through the lens of a health geographer
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Schools
Podcast
COVID-19 through the lens of a health geographer

Contact

I am keen to supervise independent and motivated Masters and PhD students with various backgrounds who have an interest in the aforementioned research topics. If my work is of interest to you, please send me an email with your CV and a brief statement of your research ideas and interests.