Prestigious dissertation prize awarded to Geography alum

The Population Geography Research Group in the Royal Geographical Society with IBG has announced its winner of the 2021 Bob Woods Postgraduate Dissertation prize.

Emma Raine, Geographical Information Systems MSc alum at the School of Geography is honoured as the 2021 winner for her dissertation project “Understanding and Predicting Health across the London Region: Developing an Index of Accessibility to Healthy Environments”.

The Population Geography research group offers two prestigious dissertation prizes annually; the Joanna Stillwell Undergraduate Dissertation Prize and the Bob Woods Postgraduate Dissertation Prize. Each prize carries an award of £100.

Population Geography dissertation topics focus on a range of issues, including but not limited to studies of;

• Segregation

• Integration

• Gentrification

• Fertility

• Mortality

• Migration policy

Motivating my research was the knowledge that although health across the UK, and particularly the London region is improving, health inequalities continue to expand, yet the exact reason for this is largely underexplored.

When asked to explain the inspiration behind her research, Emma said: “After undertaking an insightful module which involved understanding the spatial patterns and distributions across neighbourhoods, I developed a particular interest in how and why the spatial structure of the population is the way it is, utilising new techniques including the creation of composite indicators, and regression analysis.

“Motivating my research was the knowledge that although health across the UK, and particularly the London region is improving, health inequalities continue to expand, yet the exact reason for this is largely underexplored.”

Emma Raine, Dissertation prize winner

Emma is currently working as a graduate GIS consultant which involves using many of the analytical and cartographical skills she obtained throughout her postgraduate studies.

We would like to offer our congratulations and wish Emma all the best in her future endeavours.

Further information

Emma’s dissertation - “Understanding and Predicting Health across the London Region: Developing an Index of Accessibility to Healthy Environments”.