Congratulations to Chiara Gericke, PhD student in the Department of Behavioural Science & Health, for being named a runner-up for the GoFundGeo Award at this year’s GISRUK Conference.

Chiara delivered an excellent oral presentation showcasing key findings from her PhD research, supervised by Professors Clare Llewellyn & Adam Dennett and Dr Thomas Burgoine, which explored the concentration of fast-food outlets in proximity to schools. Her work aims to inform policymakers on appropriate distance thresholds for implementing takeaway management zones.

The GoFundGeo Award offers a £500 grant to support researchers in transforming their code into reusable, open-source tools. Judges were seeking projects with strong potential for widespread use within the UK and global geospatial communities. Chiara applied for the funding to adapt her code for broader application by local authorities beyond London, enabling them to conduct their own analyses of fast-food outlet exposure around schools.

Although she did not take home the top prize, Chiara’s project was highly commended, earning her a runner-up position and the opportunity to be mentored as she develops her code into an official OSGeo Community Project - ensuring it can be shared and used by others to drive positive public health outcomes.