Associate ProfessorMatt Hobbs

Matt teaches across epidemiology, physical activity, nutrition, research methods and geospatial health, with a strong emphasis on helping students apply what they learn to real-world public health problems.

At the University of Canterbury, he has led and contributed to teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Health and Sport. He led the 2024 redevelopment of the Bachelor of Health curriculum and has also contributed to the development of new courses within Sport programmes.

His teaching draws directly on his research in spatial and longitudinal epidemiology, environmental health, physical activity and population health. Students are encouraged to work with contemporary research, real-world data and practical examples to understand how epidemiological and geospatial approaches can be used to investigate health inequalities and improve population health.

He also supervises postgraduate research students, particularly those interested in linked population data, geospatial methods, environmental determinants of health and health inequalities. His supervision focuses on helping students develop strong methodological skills while working on research questions with clear relevance to policy and practice.