Weidong Liu is a full professor in Economic Geography and Director General of the Bureau of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. His areas of study are regional development and policies in China, foreign direct investments, spatial impacts of new information and communication technologies, and the changing geography of the automobile industry in China. […]
Stephen is a Reader in Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Sheffield. His research lies within the broad scope of urban and regional studies with a specific focus on applied spatial analysis, uneven spatial development and urban-regional policy and governance. He has recently published articles on recession and uneven spatial development, neighbourhood change, […]
Joan Fitzgerald is a Professor of Urban and Public Policy at Northeastern University. She focuses on urban climate governance and the connections between urban sustainability and economic development and innovation. Her third book, Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development (Oxford Univ. Press, 2010), examines how cities are creating economic development opportunities in several green […]
Stefania is a multidisciplinary researcher and teaching fellow in planning and economic development, with working experience in international consultancies. She is a Senior Teaching Associate in Planning Growth and Urban Regeneration in the Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge and a Visiting Lecturer at The Bartlett School of Planning, University College London. Her PhD in […]
Professor John Bachtler is Professor of European Policy Studies and a Director of the European Policies Research Centre. His research experience is principally in regional and industrial development in Europe, encompassing the economic development policies of the EU Member States and several other European countries, the structural and cohesion policies of the European Union, EU integration […]
Judy completed a BA (Hons) in Finance and Accounting at the University of East London. She then worked as a trainee accountant at an international freight forwarders, and then completed her examinations, qualifying as an ACCA accountant in 1996. She then worked for 14 years in various roles for The Emcor group, (which was a […]
Nicola studied at Leeds Metropolitan University, before heading to London to work for an Event and Video production company, specialising in organising conferences, road shows, exhibition and press conferences for various Government departments. More recently she has successfully run her own catering business before joining the Regional Studies Association in August 2022. Her work at […]
Alex joined as the RSA Membership, Communications and IT Manager in March 2018. She has also been a high school physics teacher, an archaeological researcher and a techie at UCL. She completed her Doctorate in Education in 2015. You might meet her on Zoom during the RSA events, and please do email her if you […]
Daniela worked previously in research and business development roles at HEI in Germany, New Zealand and the UK, as an events and tourism consultant and lecturer. Daniela joined the RSA in 2013, bringing wide-ranging international conference management experiences, academic networks and a strong entrepreneurial approach to the Association. Daniela’s job portfolio includes business development and […]
Lesa has worked at the Regional Studies Association since February 2012; arriving with over 20 years of experience in events and conferences management for a variety of organisations in London and the South East, covering disciplines such as fashion and education as well as those concerned with important governmental issues. Lesa made an immediate impact […]
Samantha completed a BA (Hons) in Development Studies at the University of Sussex. She has previously worked in the charity sector for 8 years and in higher education for 10 years. She has extensive experience as a project administrator for charities working with schools across Sussex.
Ron Boschma is a Full Professor in Regional Economics at the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning at Utrecht University. He also holds a Chair in Innovation Studies at the UiS Business School, Stavanger Centre for Innovation Research, at Stavanger University. He has widely published in international journals on Evolutionary Economic Geography, the spatial […]
Sarah Ayres is the Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Bristol, UK. Her central research interest is the governance of place, space and territory. This core provides the basis for two main strands of work. First, her research is concerned with devolution and decentralisation in both a UK and an international […]
Mia Gray is an economic and social geographer at Cambridge University. Her current research explores the politics and the distributional effects of austerity. She examines the intertwining of the economic, social and political effects on the local decisions around austerity and the shaping of the local state. This project highlights the uneven nature of the […]
Welcome message from RSA Ambassador to Finland, Markku Sotarauta Markku Sotarauta is Professor of Regional Development Studies in the Faculty of Management and Business at Tampere University, Finland. In 2011-2013, he served as the founding Dean of the School of Management and in 2009-2010 as the last Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administration. […]