Two academics from the University of Southampton have been recognised by the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) for their ‘outstanding contributions’ to geography.
Posted on SUSSED News, Professor Andy Tatem and Chris Hill have been recognised by the UK’s professional body for geography due to their commitment and progress with their research.
Professor Tatem has been given the RGS Back Award. This is due to his work that involves the mapping of vulnerable populations in disaster sites. Upon receiving the award, which thanks his directorial role of WorldPop, Professor Tatem said:
I’m thrilled to receive this award and would like to share it with the rest of the WorldPop team, both past and present, who have helped to undertake valuable work over the past decade in mapping population distributions, demographics and dynamics around the globe.
Hill has been given the RGS Cuthbert Peek Award due to his work using contemporary methods to advance geographical knowledge. Hill was singled out because of outstanding commitment to teaching and informing both professional and student colleagues about the effects of human life on the environment. Hill, who is the director of Southampton research group GeoData, said this upon receiving his award:
I am greatly honoured to have received the award from the Royal Geographical Society and it is very gratifying to be recognised in this way for doing a job I enjoy. I see this as much an acknowledgement of the excellent contribution and support from my colleagues in GeoData over the years and to the University’s commitment to enterprise within the environmental sector.
The Dean of Environmental and Life Sciences at the university, Rachel Mills, said it was thrilling to have two of her colleagues receive recognition:
Andy Tatem is the newest recipient of a globally-recognised award whose previous recipients include Professors Ken Gregory and Dave Martin of Southampton. Chris Hill also joins a long line of hugely significant contributors to the discipline that include former Southampton colleague Professor Sir Paul Curran. We will celebrate this double award to our outstanding School of Geography and Environmental Science staff in a suitable way later in the year.
A more in-depth description of their work can be found here.
