Bio
Andrew Zimmer is a Geospatial Scientist in the Human Geography group at 91°µÍø, where he contributes to the LandScan program, advancing high-resolution global population datasets. His research focuses on the intersections of human-environment geography, population dynamics, and urbanization. Before joining ORNL, he served as a Research Scientist at Montana State University, where he led assessments of urban demographic trends and population exposure to climate hazards. Andrew earned his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Arizona, with a dissertation examining the interplay between climate variability, urban population change, and food security in African cities. He also holds an M.S. and a B.A. in Geography from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.
Education
Ph.D Geography, University of Arizona, 2022
MS Environmental Science & Technology, Lancaster University (UK), 2017
BA Geography, Lancaster University (UK), 2016
Other Publications
- Thalheimer, L., Cottier, F., Kruczkiewicz, A., Hultquist, C., Tuholske, C., Benveniste, H., Freihardt, J., Hemmati, M., Kam, P.M., Pricope, N.G., Van Den Hoek, J., Zimmer, A., de Sherbinin, A. and Horton, R.M., 2025. Prioritizing involuntary immobility in climate policy and disaster planning. Nature Communications, 16, Article 2581. .
- Houghton, J., Hultquist, C., Atlas, J. and Zimmer, A., 2024, April. Towards a global machine learning model to fill gaps in flood frequency: Random Forest to estimate MNDWI in Bangladesh. In 2024 International Conference on Machine Intelligence for GeoAnalytics and Remote Sensing (MIGARS) (pp. 1-4). 91°µÍø. .
- Ross, A., Mack, E.A., Marcantonio, R., Miller-Graff, L., Pearson, A.L., Smith, A.C., Bunting, E. and Zimmer, A., 2024. A mediation analysis of the linkages between climate variability, water insecurity, and interpersonal violence. Climate and development, 16(2), pp.134-148. .
- Aloui, R., Anzellini, V., Basel, A., Birner, J., Brown, O., Craparo, A., De Coning, C., Fortin, M., Haji-Naif, R., Hernan, X.-F., Kobusinge, R., Leomoi, O., Linke, J., Madar, S., Melly, B., Nicolucci-Altman, G., Minoarivelo, H.O., Othowa, M., Ponserre, S., Tsoka, J., Tuholske, C., Van Den Hoek, J., Vinke, K., Wetterwald, J., Yonetani, M. and Zimmer, A., 2024. No escape: On the frontlines of climate change, conflict and forced displacement. Geneva: UNHCR – The UN Refugee Agency. .
- Gerlak, A.K., Guido, Z., Owen, G., McGoffin, M.S.R., Louder, E., Davies, J., Smith, K.J., Zimmer, A., Murveit, A.M., Meadow, A. and Shrestha, P., 2023. Stakeholder engagement in the co-production of knowledge for environmental decision-making. World Development, 170, p.106336. .
- Mack, E.A., Marcantonio, R.A., Bunting, E., Ross, A., Zimmer, A., Zulu, L.C., Fernández, E.L.G., Herndon, J. and Henebry, G.M., 2022. A Systematic Literature Review of Quantitative Studies Assessing the Relationship between Water and Conflict on the African Continent. Sustainability, 14(22), p.14912. .
- Davies, J., Blekking, J., Hannah, C., Zimmer, A., Joshi, N., Anderson, P., Chilenga, A. and Evans, T., 2022. Governance of traditional markets and rural-urban food systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Habitat international, 127, p.102620.
- Zimmer, A., Guido, Z., Davies, J., Joshi, N., Chilenga, A. and Evans, T., 2022. Food systems and rural-urban linkages in African secondary cities. Urban Transformations, 4(1), p.13. .
- Hannah, C., Davies, J., Green, R., Zimmer, A., Anderson, P., Battersby, J., Baylis, K., Joshi, N. and Evans, T.P., 2022. Persistence of open-air markets in the food systems of Africa's secondary cities. Cities, 124, p.103608. .
- Guido, Z., Lopus, S., Waldman, K., Hannah, C., Zimmer, A., Krell, N., Knudson, C., Estes, L., Caylor, K. and Evans, T., 2021. Perceived links between climate change and weather forecast accuracy: new barriers to tools for agricultural decision-making. Climatic Change, 168, pp.1-20. .
- Davies, J., Hannah, C., Guido, Z., Zimmer, A., McCann, L., Battersby, J. and Evans, T., 2021. Barriers to urban agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. Food Policy, 103, p.101999. .
- Mack, E.A., Bunting, E., Herndon, J., Marcantonio, R.A., Ross, A. and Zimmer, A., 2021. Conflict and its relationship to climate variability in Sub-Saharan Africa. Science of the Total Environment, 775, p.145646.
- Pearson, A.L., Mack, E.A., Ross, A., Marcantonio, R., Zimmer, A., Bunting, E.L., Smith, A.C., Miller, J.D., Evans, T. and HWISE Research Coordination Network, 2021. Interpersonal conflict over water is associated with household demographics, domains of water insecurity, and regional conflict: evidence from nine sites across eight sub-Saharan African countries. Water, 13(9), p.1150. .
- Hannah, C., Giroux, S., Krell, N., Lopus, S., McCann, L.E., Zimmer, A., Caylor, K.K. and Evans, T.P., 2021. Has the vision of a gender quota rule been realized for community-based water management committees in Kenya?. World Development, 137, p.105154.
- Zimmer, A., Guido, Z., Tuholske, C., Pakalniskis, A., Lopus, S., Caylor, K. and Evans, T., 2020. Dynamics of population growth in secondary cities across southern Africa. Landscape Ecology, 35, pp.2501-2516. .
- Guido, Z., Zimmer, A., Lopus, S., Hannah, C., Gower, D., Waldman, K., Krell, N., Sheffield, J., Caylor, K. and Evans, T., 2020. Farmer forecasts: Impacts of seasonal rainfall expectations on agricultural decision-making in Sub-Saharan Africa. Climate Risk Management, 30, p.100247.