About us
Real Good Research is a network of academic researchers and data scientists, and we want to put our skills into action to solve real-world problems. We come together in different configurations based on the needs of specific projects to collaborates with universities, governments, and international organizations to develop innovative data-driven solutions.
Real Good Researchers
These are the talented and passionate people who make up our brain trust.
Doug Leasure, PhD
Director and Research Data Scientist
Founder and Director of Real Good Research. Senior Researcher and Data Scientist for the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science at the University of Oxford. Interested in near real-time population nowcasting methods–particularly Bayesian statistics–using a combination of digital trace data, satelite remote sensing, and survey data.
Edith Darin, MSc
Population Data Scientist
Doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford developing statistical modelling approaches to estimate forced population displacement and to fill gaps in incomplete censuses using administrative registers, mobile phone data, social media, and satellite imagery.
Karim Alaa El-Din, MSci
Computer Vision Engineer
Director of Eden Technology Limited. Karim is currently working on his PhD in computational quantum physics at the University of Oxford. He uses his quantitative skills in his work with Real Good Research on satellite image analysis for tent identification and population estimation.
Claire Dooley, DPhil
Applied Researcher in Survey Methods & Spatial Analysis
Lecturer in Spatial Data Science from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London. Specialising in developing geocomputing methods for bespoke survey sampling frames and spatial analysis to better understand the needs of marginalised and vulnerable populations.
Maksym Bondarenko, PhD
Spatial Data Engineer & Software/Web Developer
Leader of Spatial Data Infrastructure Team for WorldPop at the University of Southampton. Research focuses on computational architecture for production of high-resolution large area population distribution datasets. Developer of interactive data dashboards and large scale data repositories.
Gianluca Boo, PhD
Data Scientist and Graphical Designer
As a quantitative Research Leader at RAND Europe, Gianluca focuses on building end-to-end data science pipelines that integrate bespoke datasets, innovative analytical approaches, and advanced visualisation methods to inform policy and decision-making in demography, epidemiology, forensics, and urban planning. Gianluca previously worked at the Small Arms Survey (Geneva Graduate Institute) and WorldPop (University of Southampton).
David Kerr, MSc
Database Engineer and Back-end Web Developer
As a Senior Back-end Engineer at MapMortar, David applies geospatial data science and Python development skills to work towards zero-carbon real estate. He previously worked as a geospatial data scientist on WorldPop’s Spatial Data Infrastructure team, and contributes innovative data dashboards and GIS insights for academic research through GISRede.