(07-12-2023) On Monday 4 December 2023 , Tanhua Jin successfully defended her PhD: “Transition to Shared Mobility: Usage Patterns, Challenges, and the Built Environment Effects”. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Frank Witlox (UGent), Prof. dr. Haosheng Huang (UGent). Members of the examination committee: Prof. dr. Nico Van de Weghe (UGent), Prof. dr. Giovanni Circella (UGent), Prof. dr. ing. Karst Geurs (University of Twente, Netherlands), Dr. Hannah Hook UGent), Prof. dr. Cecília Silva (University of Porto, Portugal).

Congratulations Tanhua Jin!

(07-12-2023) Tuesday, 5 December2023, Yiyang Luo successfully defended his PhD: “DISTURBANCES IN THE IONOSPHERE: THE ‘EARLY BIRD’ OF HIGH-ENERGY NATURAL HAZARD EVENTS”. Scientific research on multi-instruments detection of the ionosphere under different types of high-energy natural hazard events

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Leonid Chernogor (UKharkiv); Prof. Dr. Sergey Shulga (UKharkiv); Prof. Dr. Kwinten Van Weverberg (UGent); Prof. Dr. Frank Witlox (UGent); Prof. Dr. Isabel Van Driessche (UGent). Examination Committee: Prof. Haosheng Huang (Chair, WE12 UGent); Dr. Tobias G.W. Verhulst (Royal Meteorological institute of Belgium); Prof. Piet Termonia (UGent); Prof. Alain De Wulf (UGent); Prof. dr. Giovanni Lapenta (KU Leuven) em. Prof. Philippe De Maeyer (UGent); Dr. Edmund Henley (Met Office of UK).

Congratulations Yiyang!

(06-11-2023) At the University of Ghent, Department of Geography, a new Chair Bicycle is installed by the Flemish Government. The chair Bicycle has the thematic goal to support, evaluate and further develop the Flemish policy on cycling. The chair Bicycle provides for the appointment of a part-time (10%) guest professor (grade professor) and a 50% scientific collaborator, to support the chair holder. The Bicycle Chair commences on December 1, 2023 and is for 3 years (extension is possible but depends on required funding). To fill the chair, the department is looking for a chair holder (m/f/x).

Detailed information: https://www.ugent.be/nl/jobs/gastprofessor-leerstoel-fiets.pdf (English version starting at page 5)

(05-11-2023) Monday 30 October 2023, Rui Shao successfully defended her PhD: "Space-time Flexibility of Shopping Activities: On the Role of ICT and the Built Environment".

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ben Derudder (UGent, KU Leuven) Members of the examination committee: Prof. Dr. Alain De Wulf (Chair) (UGent), Prof. Dr. Frank Witlox (UGent), Dr. Long Cheng (UGent), Prof. Dr. Mengqiu Cao (University of Westminster, U.K.), Prof. Dr. Yongchun Yang (Lanzhou University, China)

Congratulations Rui!

(04-10-2023) On Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, Leen De Paepe successfully defended her PhD "Towards a Behavioural Understanding of the Social Acceptance of Shared Transport Services." Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Frank Witlox (UGent), Prof. Dr. Veronique Van Acker (Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research). Members of the examination committee: Prof. dr. Nico Van de Weghe (UGent) , Prof. dr. Jonathan Beaverstock (University of Bristol), Prof. dr. Giovanni Circella (UGent), Prof. dr. Caroline Mullen (University of Leeds) , Prof. dr. Yusak Susilo (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna)

Congratulations to Leen!

(23-08-2023) At the 19th General Assembly of the International Cartographic Association (ICA), Haosheng Huang was elected as one of the vice-presidents of the ICA for the period 2023-2027. The mission of the ICA is to promote the disciplines and professions of cartography and GIScience in an international context. Learn more about the ICA and its activities at https://icaci.org

(16-08-2023) In June, several researchers and PhD students from Social and Economic Geography participated in the BIVEC-GIBET conference in Leuven. Yue Hu's paper ("Revealing multiplex topological features of China's domestic air transport network: intralayer and interlayer characteristics") was among the top three papers of the conference. Congratulations Yue!

Co-authored by Kurt Fuellhart, Shengrun Zhang, and Frank Witlox

(03-08-2023) On Wednesday 5 July 2023, Songyao Huai, successfully defended her PhD “The application and validation of social media data in landscape planning and urban planning”

SUPERVISORS: Prof. dr. Tim Van de Voorde, Prof. dr. Haosheng Huang EXAMINATION COMMITTEE: Prof. dr. Alain De Wulf (UGent), Prof. dr. Nico Van de Weghe (UGent) , Prof. dr. Veerle Van Eetvelde (UGent) , Prof. dr. Frank Canters (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) Prof. dr. Ross Purves (University of Zurich).

Congratulations Songyao Huai!

(03-08-2023) We are delighted to announce that Sien Benoit from the CartoGIS research group and Frank Witlox and Tom Storme from the Social and Economic Geography research group in collaboration with Delfien Van Dyck, Greet Cardon, Jasper Schipperijn, Steven Verstockt, and Dirk Lauwers, have been awarded the Best Paper Award 2022 by the Journal of Location Based Services.

The award recognizes their paper titled "Environmental factors associated with perceived cycling safety along adolescents’ home-to-school routes" published in Volume 16, Issue 3. This recognition underscores the significant contributions our department's researchers continue to make in their respective fields.

(01-08-2023) On Wednesday June 28 2023 Fengqi Cui successfully defended her PhD "Modeling land-atmosphere interactions and urban climate in Eastern China."

Supervisors: Prof. Piet Termonia, Prof. Philippe De Maeyer, Dr. Rafiq Hamdi.

Members of the examination committee: Prof. Nico Van de Weghe (UGent), Prof. Van Doan Quang (University of Tsukuba, Japan), Prof.Wenhui Kuang (Chinese Academy of Sciences, China), Prof. Natalie Theeuwes (KNMI, Dutch), Prof. Steven Caluwaerts (UGent), Prof. Bert Van Schaeybroeck (UGent)

Congratulations Fengqi Cui!

(25-05-2023) On Monday, 22 May 2023, Long Zhang successfully defended his PhD "Attribute trajectory analysis: analyzing the dynamics of non-spatial data as trajectories".

Supervisors: Prof. dr. Nico Van de Weghe (UGent), Prof. dr. Philippe De Maeyer (UGent).

Members of the examination committee: Prof. dr. Veerle Van Eetvelde (Chair) (UGent), Prof. dr. Robert Weibel (University of Zurich), Prof. dr. Frieke Van Coillie (UGent), Prof. dr. Steven Caluwaerts (UGent), Prof. dr. Haosheng Huang (UGent), Prof. dr. Tim Van de Voorde (UGent), Dr. Laure De Cock (UGent).

Congratulations Long Zhang!

(17-05-2023) In May 2023 a Membership of the Academia Europaea (MAE) was conferred to professor Frank Witlox. Membership is competitive, by invitation only and judged during a peer review selection process based on demonstrated "sustained academic excellence".

The object of Academia Europaea is the advancement and propagation of excellence in scholarship in the humanities, law, the economic, social, and political sciences, mathematics, medicine, and all branches of natural and technological sciences anywhere in the world for the public benefit and for the advancement of the education of the public of all ages. The aim of the Academy is to promote European research, advise governments and international organisations in scientific matters, and further interdisciplinary and international research.

(11-05-2023) Wednesday, May 3, 2023 Maite Dewinter successfully defended her doctorate "Optimising daily police patrol: Towards better matching police supply and demand by directing police in space and time."

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Frank Witlox (Ugent), Prof. Dr. Christophe Vandeviver (UGent) and Prof. Dr. Tom Vander Beken (Ugent). Committee members: Chairman:Prof. Dr. Veerle Van Eetvelde (UGent), Prof. Dr. Haosheng Huang (UGent), Prof. Dr. Eva Lievens (UGent), Prof. Dr. Wim Hardyns (UGent), Prof. Dr. Wout Dullaert (VU Amsterdam).

Congratulations Maite!

(25-04-2023) The UGent Department of Human Resources published two vacancies for a full-time assistant in the Department of Geography, Ghent University (ID:25891, ID:25892). The vacancies are in the research areas of Social and Economic Geography on the one hand and Physical Geography on the other. The deadline for application is May 23.

https://jobs.ugent.be/go/Assistant-academic-staff/8808502/

(29-03-2023) We have some exciting news! Soon you can walk, cycle and drive in VR at our group because the faculty approved the moVe moRe project. This new research infrastructure will boost research in mobility, navigation, sport sciences, safety and much more! Stay tuned...

(14-03-2023) One thing is certain: as an alumnus you cannot miss the Alumni Day. You can experience the day as you wish, with your family, with fellow students, or alone: there is something for everyone in the extensive program! Geography is well represented on the alumni day with numerous activities, come and visit us at:

• The mapathon: https://alumnidag.ugent.be/nl-be/programma/activiteiten/mapathon/

• The interactive ambulance game: https://alumnidag.ugent.be/nl-be/programma/activiteiten/ziekenwagen-op-zijn-plaats/

• VR and AR demo: https://alumnidag.ugent.be/nl-be/programma/activiteiten/virtual-and-augmented-reality/

• Test your worldview: https://alumnidag.ugent.be/nl-be/programma/activiteiten/ken-je-wereld/

• lecture on urban climate and heat stress: https://alumnidag.ugent.be/nl-be/programma/activiteiten/stadsklimaat-en-hittestress/

• lecture about climate models: https://alumnidag.ugent.be/nl-be/programma/activities/climatemodels-ons-window-op-de-toekomst/

• lecture on the history of Belgium: https://alumnidag.ugent.be/nl-be/programma/activiteiten/de-historie-van-belgie-in-100-oude-kaarten/

• lecture on the humanitarian crisis in Tigray: https://alumnidag.ugent.be/nl-be/programma/activities/de-geografie-van-warsmisdaden-humanitaire-crisis-en-bijhorende-bad-oogsten-in- tigray-northern ethiopia/

(07-03-2023) The 18th conference on Location Based Services takes place in Ghent this year. We are looking forward to welcome you under the tower of St. Bavo's cathedral. Full papers can be submitted until June 1st, work in progress until July 15th.

Visit the website: https://lbs2023.lbsconference.org

(28-02-2023) Friday, February 24, 2023, Fangli Guan successfully defended his PhD: “Modelling of the Scene Complexity of Navigation Environments and Visual Areas of Interest for Egocentric Pedestrian Navigation Systems Using Street-View Panoramas”. Supervisors are Prof. dr. Haosheng Huang (UGent) and Prof. dr. Zhixiang Fang (LIESMARS, WHU). Committee members: Chair: Prof. dr. Veerle Van Eetvelde (UGent), Co-chair: Prof. dr. Bisheng Yang (LIESMARS, WHU), Prof. dr. Nico Van de Weghe (UGent), Dr. Laure De Cock (UGent), Prof. dr. Biyu Chen (LIESMARS, WHU), Prof. dr. Shen Ying (LIESMARS, WHU)

Congratulations Fangli.

(01-02-2023) Wednesday, January 25, 2022, Dilawar Ali successfully defended his PhD “Al-Based Methods to Enrich, Geolocalize and Rephotograph Historical Newspaper Photos.” Supervisors are Prof. dr. Steven Verstockt and Prof. dr. Nico Van de Weghe. Committee members: Prof. dr Hennie De Schepper (chair), Prof. dr. Dieter De Witte, Prof. dr. Tan Lu, Prof. dr. Hiep Luong, dr. Thomas Smits, Prof. dr. Christophe Verbruggen. Congratulations Dilawar.

(20-12-2022) Monday 12 December 2022, Nohemi Ramirez Aranda successfully defended her PhD “Barriers towards the widespread adoption of PPGIS in spatial planning practice”. Supervisors are Dr. Jeroen De Waegemaeker and prof. dr. Nico Van de Weghe. Committee members: Prof. dr. Haosheng Huang (chair), dr. Lieze Mertens, Prof. dr. Nora Fagerholm, Prof. dr. Tim Van de Voorde, Prof. dr. Veerle Van Eetvelde. Congratulations Nohemi.