Douglas Leasure

Douglas Leasure is a Senior Researcher and Data Scientist in the Demographic Science Unit at the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford. His work focuses on developing novel methods to map population demographics using Bayesian statistics, remote sensing, and machine learning, particularly in data-sparse regions. He emphasizes open science and creating interactive tools for stakeholder engagement.

• Previously led the Spatial Statistical Population Modelling team at WorldPop (University of Southampton)
• Postdoctoral research at the River Basin Center, University of Georgia, and USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
• PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Arkansas

Research interests include:

• High-resolution population estimation using social media and satellite data
• Hierarchical Bayesian modeling for uncertainty quantification
• Applications in crisis response, global health, and census support

Prior grants supported initiatives by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and UN Population Fund. He leads teams in statistical population modeling and ecological forecasting.