Recognition of excellence for two Geography postgraduates
Two masters students of Geography at the University of Southampton have received awards from the Demographics User Group (DUG) in partnership with the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). DUG represents major companies including Barclays, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury's.
Adam Dales, supervised by Professor David Martin, and Ioanna Chounta, supervised by Dr Jim Wright, won the runners up prizes in the dissertation competition, Adam gave a presentation about his work at the DUG annual meeting at the Royal Society in London.
Adam has been advising the Co-operative Society on how the 2011 Census data can be used to optimise store locations; Ioanna Chounta has been working with Camelot UK Lotteries on how population and retail geography can estimate accurate measures of local demands and the impact of new outlets opening and closing in an area.
At the same meeting, the Council was given a prestigious award by DUG, reflecting its increasing focus on retail research and developing training in quantitative skills. David, as an ESRC Council member, received the award on its behalf.
The ESRC is continuing to invest in retail research, including the £2.5 million Retail Sector Initiative which is supporting collaborative projects to undertake research and knowledge exchange activities. The UK retail sector is an important part of the economy and has a profound impact on the whole of our society. Valued at over £300 billion, it employs one in nine working people and accounts for one in 12 companies.
Photo credit: Images courtesy of Jan Wright Photography on behalf of DUG.