Professor Andy Tatem, Director of WorldPop at the University of Southampton, has been recognised as a global research leader in the field of environmental sciences. Academic rankings and researcher profile platform Research.com has awarded Professor Tatem the 2026 Environmental Sciences in United Kingdom Leader Award, ranking him 10th in the UK and 176th in the world.
The ranking is based on the D-index (Discipline H-index), a metric that specifically measures the citation values and papers produced within disciplines. This recognition follows Tatem’s inclusion in Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list, a distinction that highlights researchers whose work has demonstrated exceptional reach and influence within their scientific disciplines and highlights his career-long commitment to high-resolution geospatial mapping and the development of peer-reviewed research methods.
Professor Tatem’s work at WorldPop focuses on a strong humanitarian mission: ensuring everyone, everywhere is counted in decision-making. By integrating data from satellites, mobile networks, and surveys, the WorldPop team produces high-resolution population distribution datasets. These timely, accurate and open data sources are essential for planning critical interventions in low- and middle-income countries, including disaster relief, poverty reduction, and vaccination coverage.
Through Professor Tatem’s leadership, WorldPop continues to support global health and development applications, helping decision-makers harness the power of spatial demographic data to address the Sustainable Development Goals.
