Researcher biography

Jonathan is a human geographer within the School of the Environment and Deputy Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Science at UQ. Jonathan joined The University of Queensland in 2005 following previous appointments at the University of Glamorgan (UK) and the UK national mapping Agency, Ordnance Survey.

Jonathan's interests lie at the intersection of human geography, regional science, sociology and criminology in understanding how human mobility shapes and is shaped by our urban systems and in turn impacts social sustainability; how regional economic growth and development is governed by human capital migration; and how big data and spatial analytics can be effectively harnessed to inform smarter policy.

Jonathan's interest in geography and the spatial sciences began early on in his academic career. Completing his undergraduate studies in geography and a masters degree in geographic information science, where he focused on developing a broad understanding of key statistical, modelling and spatial analytic methods. He then went on to earn a PhD in human geography and computer science, where he focused on modelling the complex relationship between mobility, land use and crime.