Hanieh Yaghootkar is Professor of Health Data and Technology at the University of Southampton, where she leads a multidisciplinary research programme at the interface of statistical genetics, machine learning, and population health. Her research leverages large-scale human datasets to characterise the biological and clinical heterogeneity underlying complex metabolic diseases, with a particular focus on identifying distinct obesity subtypes and their differential relationships with type 2 diabetes risk and progression. A key component of her work uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to precisely quantify fat stored in different body depots, enabling detailed investigation of how variation in fat distribution influences metabolic health. Her research integrates imaging-derived phenotypes with genetic and clinical data to improve risk stratification and support more personalised approaches to the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.