Congratulations to CPC colleagues

Congratulations to CPC researcher, Dr Erengul Dodd, and CPC Associate, Professor Sabu Padmadas, who have received news of their appointments as Turing Fellow and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, respectively.

Dr Dodd is one of 30 academic colleagues from the University of Southampton who have been appointed as Turing Fellows, starting on 1 October 2021. Turing Fellows are scholars with proven research excellence in data science, artificial intelligence, or a related field whose research would be significantly enhanced through active involvement with the Turing network of universities and partners.

Dr Dodd is Associate Professor of Actuarial Science in the School of Mathematical Sciences. She is also a member of the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute, and works within the 'Integrated demographic estimation and forecasting' strand of CPC. On receiving this appointment, Dr Dodd said: “My research focuses on the application of statistical modelling, inference and prediction to actuarial, demographic and health data under model uncertainty. The Turing brings leading researchers and non-academic partners together to work on practical problems relevant to my research area. Being able to work with these potential partners on challenging problems is not only very exciting but also gives me an opportunity to help policymakers make better decisions on matters related to my research.”

Turing Institute Director and Chief Executive Adrian Smith said, “It gives me great pleasure to welcome this new group of Fellows. This cohort is incredibly multidisciplinary and diverse. They will bring a rich range of expertise and ensure we continue to do world-leading, impactful research.”

Professor Mark Spearing, Vice President (Research and Enterprise), commented on the importance of Data Science and AI for the university, saying "Almost all areas of our academic endeavour are being radically changed by the development of data science".

Sabu Padmadas is Professor of Demography and Global Health at the University of Southampton. He has been conferred the award of Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.

The research interests of Professor Padmadas, who has been at Southampton since 2002, focus broadly on population dynamics and the application of demographic analysis and statistical modelling of global health and wellbeing outcomes in low-middle income and transition economies.

On receiving news of the award, Professor Padmadas said:

“I am truly delighted to receive this honour and recognition from the Academy of Social Sciences. I wholeheartedly dedicate this Fellowship to the University, my wonderful colleagues and students at Social Statistics and Demography, our professional services, and exceptional researchers from across continents, who have supported and inspired me to grow intellectually and professionally over the last two decades.

“I remain eternally grateful to have had the opportunities to lead several international research projects in Asia, Africa, Middle-East and Latin America, and particularly research spanning over a decade of impact evaluation of a large-scale United Nations programme in China which transformed its official family planning policy, safeguarding the reproductive rights of women and couples. No books or Wikipedia can substitute the experience in China, as presumably, I have understood India, UK and the rest of the world a lot better.

“Throughout this journey, I have realised the infinite potential and flexibility of demography and social statistics to beautifully integrate with other pertinent interdisciplinary areas within social, health, behavioural, environmental, business, engineering and life sciences.

“This is also a momentous occasion, for me personally, as we enter a decade of celebrations of our popular undergraduate interdisciplinary global health curriculum within social sciences which continues to inspire and transform individual student careers, and the MSc in Global Health which attracts students from across disciplines and world regions.

“As we enter towards an era dominated by the complex interactions between humans and machines, I believe social sciences research will play a pivotal role in shaping our understanding of sustainable societies and human behaviours.”

Posted 30/09/2021 10:58