Dr. Douglas Leasure

Biography

Doug's research spans demography, population ecology, Bayesian statistics, and GIS/remote sensing. He specializes in developing novel methods to map population sizes and demographics using high spatial resolution data in data-sparse settings, supplementing traditional survey data with innovative new data sources and activity space-based Earth observations. His work involves developing bespoke hierarchical Bayesian modeling approaches aimed at accounting for uncertainty in demographic estimation processes to support informed decision-making for crisis response, census support, government services, and global health initiatives. Committed to real-world impact, Doug promotes open science and enjoys developing web applications that translate scientific results into easy-to-navigate interactive maps and tools for stakeholders worldwide. At the Demographic Science Unit of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science at the University of Oxford, Doug led the Spatial Statistical Population Modelling team within the WorldPop Research Group, where he developed Bayesian statistical models and applied machine learning techniques to produce high-resolution population estimates supporting initiatives of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund. Previously, he was a post-doctoral research associate at the River Basin Center of the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia, where he developed statistical models for NASA's Ecological Forecasting program. Doug completed his PhD in Biological Sciences at the University of Arkansas, during which he held a Doctoral Academy Fellowship and served as a post-doctoral research associate at the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit of the United States Geological Survey.

Research Interests

Experience