Applied labour and health economics.

Rachel Forshaw is an Assistant Professor of Economics. Her research sits at the intersection of labour economics, health economics, economic history, and applied microeconometrics, with a particular focus on how work, institutions, and public policy shape health and wellbeing across the life course.

Her current research examines topics including job quality, the long-term consequences of childhood healthcare and public health interventions, inequalities in health and labour market outcomes, and the use of historical administrative data to understand the lasting effects of policy reform. She has extensive experience working with large-scale longitudinal datasets and linked administrative data, combining causal inference methods with historical and contemporary evidence.

Rachel's work has been published in journals including Nature and PNAS, and has been supported by funding from the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust and Heriot-Watt University. She collaborates with researchers across economics, sociology, public health, history, and data science, and is committed to producing research that informs policy and improves understanding of health, work, and inequality.

Alongside her research, Rachel teaches economics at undergraduate and postgraduate level and is actively involved in research leadership, public engagement, and the development of innovative approaches to communicating economic research to wider audiences.

Leading research in labour economics, health economics, and economic history through the development of externally funded research projects, interdisciplinary collaborations, and the supervision of undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral researchers. Leading and coordinating undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, curriculum and assessment development, and initiatives to enhance the student learning experience. Contributing to research leadership, peer review, conference organisation, public engagement, knowledge exchange, and professional service to the University and the wider economics community.