Personal profile

Educational background

BA University of Sussex

MA University of Essex

PhD University of Essex

Personal profile

Oliver Heath is Professor of Politics and co-director of the Democracy and Elections Centre. He holds a BA (Hons) in Social Anthropology from the University of Sussex and an MA in Political Behavior from the University of Essex, where he also received his PhD. He joined the Department in 2008, having previously held a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Essex and an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the LSE. He has also worked at the University of Strathclyde and held visiting positions at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in India, Universidad Simon Bolivar in Venezuela, and the Centre for the Study of Political Change (CiRCap) in Italy.

Oliver's main research interests include elections and voting behaviour, public opinion, and survey design and analysis. He has a particular interest in both UK elections and Indian elections. He is the author of Political Research: Methods and Practical Skills (with Sandra Halperin) and has published his work in the Journal of Politics, British Journal of Political Science, European Journal of Political Research, Electoral Studies, Political Behavior, and Political Studies among others. He has received funding for his research from the ESRC, British Academy, and Nuffield Foundation, and has written commissioned reports for the Home Office on voluntary participation, citizenship and ethnic diversity and for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on Brexit and low income voters.

Oliver teaches courses on research methods, elections, and comparative politics, and was recently awarded a College Team Teaching Prize. He is co-editor of Electoral Studies (with Kaat Smets) and is on the editorial board of Political Studies Review, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics, and the Italian Political Science Review. He also served on the Q-Step Strategy Board. His research has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Statesman, The Guardian, The Independent, The Sun, Daily Mirror, and Daily Express among others. He regularly blogs and occasionally tweets as @olhe.

 

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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