Marina Rakhimova

PhD thesis:

The Urban Exposome: Dissecting the Causal Pathways Between Singapore's Built Environment and Population Health

The built environment of Singapore, a multi-ethnic, Asian megacity, plays a central role in shaping the health outcomes of its more than 4 million residents. This influence operates through the urban exposome - the cumulative, dynamic interaction of physico-chemical factors such as air pollution, urban heat, and noise, as well as socio-spatial determinants including walkability, accessibility to green and blue spaces, and the food environment. By leveraging the SG100K cohort study, this research aims to identify the causal mechanisms through which the constantly evolving built environment of Singapore shapes the behaviours and health outcomes of its residents.

Who or what inspired you to pursue your research interests?

Throughout my undergraduate studies across four continents, I gained firsthand exposure to diverse urban challenges, including gentrification in San Francisco, Copenhagen’s high-barrier housing market, residential displacement in Berlin, and the stark inequalities embedded in Seoul’s neighbourhoods. These contrasting experiences revealed that urban environments are not merely engineering challenges - they are fundamental determinants of equity, accessibility, and quality of life. This realization guided my academic path, leading me to develop expertise in econometrics and causal inference to examine the causal effects of urban policies on public health and social outcomes. With my passion for healthy and equitable urban planning, I aim to formulate policy-relevant questions centered on health disparities and apply appropriate methodological frameworks to address them.