(09-04-2024) The Bicycle Chair at Ghent University (Department of Geography) is looking for a full-time scientific collaborator with demonstrated interest and ability to conduct research, communicate in the field of bicycle mobility in order to contribute to the start-up of the new chair.

More information at: https://jobs.ugent.be/job/Gent-Wetenschappelijk-medewerker-9000/792010802/

(02-02-2024) "Belgium has a cycling professor for the first time: Meredith Glaser. Today is her first working day at Ghent University. She tells you all about her unique job and why she is so passionate about cycling."

Interview on VRT Radio 1 with Dr. Meredith Glaser, expert in sustainable mobility and since 1 February 2024 chair holder of the new Bicycle chair at UGent (Department of Geography).

Listen to the interview on the website of Radio1 (in Dutch).

Photo credits: (c) DMOW

(31-01-2024) Dr. Meredith Glaser, an expert in sustainable mobility, will start at UGent on Feb. 1, 2024 as chair holder of the new Bicycle Chair. The chair should strengthen the ambitious Flemish cycling policy with academic knowledge and insights.

The importance of the bicycle as a means of transport has been rising sharply in recent years. Cycling has never been more popular in Flanders, nor has investment in cycling infrastructure. In order to further support this positive evolution with scientific research, a new chair is being established at UGent, with financial and substantive support from the Flemish government. The academic work that the chair will produce will contribute to mobility policy and the social debate on bicycle mobility in Flanders. Dr. Meredith Glaser, who was chosen as chair holder, will take up a role in various training units at UGent and work closely with the many actors involved in Flemish cycling policy.

Read the full press release (in Dutch).

(22-01-2024) On Monday 15 January 2024, Yuting Jang successfully defended her PhD: " Navigating Polycentric Urban Regions: Economic Consequences and Methodological Insights".

Supervisors: Prof. dr. Ben Derudder (KU Leuven and UGent), Dr. Freke Caset (UGent and VUB).

Members of the examination committee: Chairman: Prof. dr. Nico Van de Weghe (UGent), Prof. dr. Haosheng Huang (UGent), Pro. dr. Yingcheng Li (Southeast University), Dr. Evert Meijers (Utrecht University), Dr. Angelika Münter (Institute for Regional and Urban Development, Dortmund), Prof. dr. Frank Witlox (UGent)

Congratulations Yuting Jang!

(04-01-2024) On Wednesday 13 December 2023, Chenchen Xu successfully defended her PhD: "Passenger Behavior in Airplane Emergency Evacuations: From Time Perception to Exit Choice".

Promoters: Prof. Dr. Frank Witlox (UGent), Prof. Dr. Quan Shao (Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics). Members of the examination committee: Chairman: Prof. Dr. Haosheng Huang (UGent). Prof. Dr. Kurt Fuellhart (UGent & Unison Consulting, Inc.), Prof. Dr. Giovanni Circella (UGent), Prof. Dr. Ben Derudder (KU Leuven), Prof. Dr. Genserik L.L. Reniers (Delft University of Technology).

Congratulations Chenchen!

(18-12-2023) Early December, several researchers and doctoral students from the Department of Geography participated in the I-Know Innovation Day 2023 at Ghent University. Corneel Casier's poster ("Understanding street closures: How different modes of travel are affected – an agent-based modelling approach") won the Audience Award for the 'Most compelling poster presentation.'

Congratulations, Corneel!

(18-12-2023) On Friday 11 December 2023, Yuting Chen successfully defended her PhD: "Examining Airport Categorisation and the Evolving Dynamics of Airports. A multimodal transport approach in the context of China". Supervisors: Prof Frank Witlox (UGent), Prof Kurt Fuellhart (Unison Consulting). Members of the examination committee: Chairman: Prof Dr Veerle Van Eetvelde (Ugent). Prof. Dr Liang Dai (Nanjing University of Finance and Economics), Prof. Dr Tony H. Grubesic (University of California at Riverside), Prof. Dr Theo Notteboom (UGent), Prof. Dr Kevin B. O'Connor (University of Melbourne).

Congratulations Yuting!

(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!

(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!

(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) 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.

(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!