Rate My Professor Ryan Woolrych

Ryan Woolrych is a Professor in Ageing and Urban Studies in the School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society at Heriot-Watt University, where he serves as Director of the Institute for Place, Environment and Society. He joined Heriot-Watt University in 2014 as an Associate Professor in Health and Well-being, previously directing the Urban Institute. Prior to this appointment, he worked at the Gerontology Research Centre in Vancouver, Canada, investigating social justice, housing, and ageing-in-place. Woolrych's research examines the intersections between ageing and place, addressing inequities in ageing outcomes for vulnerable and marginalised groups. His work spans scales from street to city, focusing on place-based supports for active and healthy ageing. Employing participatory methodologies, including co-research with older adults, community mapping, deliberative dialogue, and visual methods, he fosters understandings of ageing in the right place. Much of his research is transnational, involving collaborations with academics, practitioners, policymakers, and community groups across developed and developing countries. He is principal investigator on a £1.2 million AHRC project exploring asset-based approaches to enhance health and wellbeing for Roma populations in mid- to later life.