Dr Duika Burges Watson is Lecturer in the Evaluation of Policy Interventions within FUSE, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health – a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Duika is a health geographer with interests in translational research and evaluation, risk perception, food choice and decision making in public health; food policy, progressive cuisine, and seaweed industries. Current research includes work with survivors of head and neck cancer exploring the potential of progressive cuisine to enhance quality of life; and current developments in UK food policy.

She is director of the Station Masters Centre, a charity supporting local residents health and well being and for the benefit of people with altered eating; and chair of the Station Masters Community Wildlife Garden.

With Johanna Wadsley she was recipient of the 2012 Neville Schulman Challenge Award with the Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers for the project Hugging the Coast.

Specialties: Food policy, knowledge exchange, wider engagement and patient and public involvement, ecological public health (and the application of geographical approaches to this), qualitative methods in health research, critical approaches to public health and risk related decision making.

Current research includes work with survivors of head and neck cancer exploring progressive cuisine and cooking with hydrocolloids for textural modification, an evaluation of the UK Change4life fruit and vegetable convenience store initiative and an analysis of ‘choice’ in UK food policy.