The British Society for Population Studies (BSPS) is the membership organisation for people who study human populations.
BSPS is a non-profit society founded in 1973. It aims to further the scientific study of biological, economic, historical, medical, social and other disciplines connected with human populations and to contribute to public awareness of this work. The society is a place for discussion, information, and interchange of ideas between members. It supports study and research, and dissemination.
BSPS members organise events with support from the society: half-day and day seminars and workshops, online and in-person. Many members meet and bring their work to the BSPS annual conference, which takes place in September each year.
BSPS runs prizes and awards for members at different career stages. It also shares regular updates between members on news and opportunities in the field of population studies. BSPS' postgraduate reps produce a newsletter 2-3 times per year and bring together an early career conference, PopFest.
Many members of the society are available for media enquiries on their areas of expertise, for example families, fertility, mortality, migration, official statistics, and other aspects of population change and health. Contact pic@lse.ac.uk
BSPS Presidents serve a 2-year term.
1974 – David Glass
1976 – William Brass
1978 – Tony Wrigley
1979 - 81 – E. Grebenik
1981 - 83 – David Eversley
1983 - 85 – Jean Thompson
1985 - 87 – Roger Schofield
1987 - 89 – John Hobcraft
1989 - 91 – John Fox
1991 - 93 – Bob Woods
1993 - 95 – Tim Dyson
1995 - 97 – Ian Diamond
1997 - 99 – John Cleland
1999 - 2001 – Heather Joshi
2001 - 03 – John Haskey
2003 - 05 – Mike Murphy
2005 - 07 – John Hollis
2007 - 09 – Paul Boyle
2009 - 11 – Emily Grundy
2011 - 13 – Ludi Simpson
2013 - 15 – Tony Champion
2015 - 17 – Jane Falkingham
2017 - 19 – Piers Elias
2019 - 21 – Wendy Sigle
2021 - 23 – Alice Reid
2023 - 25 – Nicola Shelton
2025 - 27 – Steve Smallwood