Shengjie Lai

A new study using data from one billion mobile phones has shown how wealth and age create a hidden divide in how people respond to heatwaves. The data showed whether people were able to stay at home or forced to travel for work and essentials. Read more: southampton.ac.uk/news/2026/01/d…

Early warnings save lives - but only if they reach the right people in time. 🌍📊 New research shows how WorldPop data and multi-hazard alerts reduce cyclone risk, exposure, and recovery time. Learn more: worldpop.org/blog/the-data-… #EarlyWarningSystems #DataForGood #ClimateRisk

🔥 Do heat adaptation strategies really work? A study of 1.1 billion devices across 366 Chinese cities shows cooling centres matter - but impacts vary by heat, wealth & age. 🔗Read and listen:  worldpop.org/blog/when-heat… #ClimateChange #ExtremeHeat #Cities #Adaptation

🦠 Pandemics don’t spread randomly - they follow the paths we create through our social lives and movements. 📖 🔊 Read + listen about how networks shape outbreaks: worldpop.org/blog/how-our-s… #InfectiousDisease #NetworkScience #HealthBehaviours #Epidemics #DataScience

🌍 New review paper by Prof Xin Lu & co-authored by WorldPop’s Dr Shengjie Lai shows how high-resolution population & #mobility data are transforming #epidemic modelling & public health. 📊#DataForGood #GlobalHealth Read and listen: worldpop.org/blog/movement-…

🌍New global 1 km population projections (2025–2100) under SSP1–5, supporting climate, health & development research. Explore the #FuturePop dataset! #OpenData #Population 📊 0.2 version release, updates coming soon. 📰🔊Read and listen: worldpop.org/blog/new-globa…

📰 The November 2025 edition of the WorldPop Newsletter is out! 🌍Explore new data releases, research updates & impact stories. ✒️Don't miss out - sign up for our next edition! 🔗worldpop.org/worldpop-newsl…

🔬 A new #MOOD #HorizonEU study reveals how #COVID19 modelling, data use & collaboration evolved across #Europe - offering key lessons for future pandemics. 📖 🔊 Read more + listen: worldpop.org/blog/lessons-f…

This study uses #data from over 1.1 billion devices in #China to show that multi-hazard early-warning systems boost #disaster resilience by reducing population exposure & speeding recovery after tropical cyclones. Read: spkl.io/6013ArBuL Subscribe: spkl.io/6018ArBu4

📹 Dr Natalia Tejedor Garavito presents WorldPop’s cutting-edge work at CrisisReady’s Café Catastrófico ☕ 🌍 From mapping war-torn Ukraine to guiding flood relief, this data saves lives. Watch her talk (🇪🇸 w/ 🇬🇧 subs): worldpop.org/blog/mapping-p… #DataForGood @crisisreadiness

Missed The Power of Population Data webinar? 🎥 The recording & presentation slides are now available! Dive into the latest on WorldPop’s Global 2 dataset and how it's shaping smarter decisions worldwide. 🌍📊 🔗 worldpop.org/blog/new-globa…

🌍 Tomorrow we launch WorldPop Global 2: A new era of global high-resolution #populationdata (2015–2030)! Built with AI & satellite imagery, it's open, powerful & ready for use in health, planning & disaster response. 🔗worldpop.org/blog/worldpop-… #Geospatial #DataForGood

WorldPop & #UNICEF team up to map zero‑dose children using #AI, satellite data & #geospatial analytics so we can locate and vaccinate those who've never received routine immunisations. Turning high‑resolution data into lifesaving action. #vaccination worldpop.org/blog/teaming-u…

🌍 Big data, big impact! Join us on 4 Sep for the launch of WorldPop Global 2015–2030 - a new open-access, high-res, age & sex-disaggregated population estimate dataset covering 242 countries 📅 4 Sep | 🕒 3 pm BST 🔗 Register: eventbrite.co.uk/e/1374590861269 #PopulationData #OpenData

🔥 As extreme heat & aging populations collide #Europe faces a deadly future. A new study using WorldPop data warns heat-related deaths could soar - especially among the elderly - unless bold measures are taken. #ClimateCrisis #HeatRisk #PublicHealth worldpop.org/blog/new-study…

🚨 New preprint: 73 high-res, global, multi-temporal geospatial datasets! Covering 2015–2023 at ~100m resolution, these open data power better population modelling for health, policy & more. worldpop.org/blog/new-open-…

We are excited to be co-creating the future of AI-powered geospatial intelligence through a transformational knowledge partnership with @WorldPopProject and geospatial research hub at @unisouthampton. Over the last 3 days, we explored how the fusion of AI, human geography, and location-informed intelligence can power inclusive economies, especially in underserved communities across the Global South. By integrating population dynamics, spatial mobility, and settlement characterization with real-time, contextual AI models, this collaboration aims to bring global research to local relevance and impact. This is what it means to truly localize AI for good. Our delegation, represented by @bayoadekanmbi of @EqualyzAI and @rKyrian of @dsn_ai_network engaged in high-impact ideation and applied solution-building sessions with some of the UK’s brightest minds. The trip also presented a great opportunity to engage with the legendary @DameWendyDBE, Regius Professor of Computer Science at @unisouthampton, and are deeply grateful to our host @andytatem, Director of @WorldPopProject and leading expert in spatial demography and epidemiology. Special thanks to other brilliant contributors including Sada Saxton, Ian Coady, Dr. Jessica Espey, @Lai_CDC, @SarchilQ, Dr. Edson Utazi, @ChibuzorNnanatu, @NatuTejedor, @yankeyortis, Alexandra Frosch, Dr. Somnath Chaudhuri, Dr. Winfred Dotse-Gborgbortsi, Dr. Krishnaveni K.S, Dr. Mohamed Megheib, Safia Siddiqi-Hibbert and many others. Together, we are building a future where AI is not just intelligent, but location-aware, context-sensitive, and impact-driven. Indeed, emerging markets deserve tailored solutions and this collaboration is a step forward. #AIforGood #GeospatialAI #EqualyzAI #WorldPop #UniversityOfSouthampton #DataScienceNigeria #SpatialDemography

🚀 A true honour to welcome Professor Dame Wendy Hall to WorldPop! We had an inspiring & wide-ranging conversation on using AI to fill global demographic data gaps🌍- plus insights into UK data sharing initiatives & the power of interdisciplinary collaboration 💡🔬 #AIforGood

🌍 Introducing the new WorldPop #QGIS Plugin for Population Disaggregation ✅ Disaggregate population data top-down using spatial covariates ✅ Generate gridded pop estimates at 100m res ✅ Disaggregate population by age/sex ✅ No need to program! youtu.be/WPStOdqE8xE

🚨 New preprint led by Dorothea Woods describing 🌍 global gridded multi-temporal datasets to support human population distribution #modelling 🔗 verixiv.org/articles/2-149… 💻 Data: hub.worldpop.org/project/catego… 🧮 Code: github.com/wpgp/global2_s…