Jim Wright

Professor Jim Wright is a Professor in GIS & International Development at the University of Southampton. He specializes in geospatial analysis for public health and environmental management in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on safe water access, waste management, and climate resilience. Current projects include the ESRC-funded Water and Waste initiative addressing off-grid urban service delivery in Ghana and Kenya. He is Deputy Head of School for Research and supervises multiple PhD students in Geography and related fields.

Research Interests:

• Safe water access and public health
• GIS applications in environmental management
• Health management information systems
• Climate change impacts on service delivery

Publications: Recent work explores geospatial analysis of health service accessibility in Ghana, waste management integration with WASH systems, and diaper waste dynamics in urban Africa. His research bridges environmental science, public health, and policy applications.

Awards:

• UNICEF Best of UNICEF Research (2015)
• ESRC Impact Award (2012)
• Unite Ideas #SDGInsights Prize (2017)

Grants & Supervision: Coordinates multi-disciplinary projects funded by ESRC, NERC, and Royal Society. Supervises PhD students in Geography, Social Statistics, and Development. Teaches applied GIS modules at undergraduate and master's levels.

External Roles: Member of ESRC Peer Review College (2015), UKRI Reviewer (2016), and invited expert for UNICEF monitoring initiatives (2014).