
Professor Maria Abreu is a regional economist, working on topics relating to labour markets, education and skills, migration, productivity, and political geography. She is currently Professor of Economic Geography at the Department of Land Economy, and Fellow of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge.
Prior to coming to Cambridge, she worked for the Poverty Team at the World Bank office in Jakarta, Indonesia, on policy initiatives to promote child nutrition and educational transitions. She was also a policy research fellow at the Cambridge-MIT Institute, working on several projects to promote knowledge diffusion and innovation.
She has worked as a consultant for the European Commission, the World Bank, the UK’s Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS/BEIS), the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), and the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) of Northern Ireland. She has been Chair of the Regional Science Association International – British and Irish Section since 2018, and also Co-Editor of the journals Spatial Economic Analysis and Regional Science Policy and Practice, as well as Advisory Editor of the journal Research Policy.
Prior to coming to Cambridge, she worked for the Poverty Team at the World Bank office in Jakarta, Indonesia, on policy initiatives to promote child nutrition and educational transitions. She was also a policy research fellow at the Cambridge-MIT Institute, working on several projects to promote knowledge diffusion and innovation.
She has worked as a consultant for the European Commission, the World Bank, the UK’s Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS/BEIS), the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), and the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) of Northern Ireland. She has been Chair of the Regional Science Association International – British and Irish Section since 2018, and also Co-Editor of the journals Spatial Economic Analysis and Regional Science Policy and Practice, as well as Advisory Editor of the journal Research Policy.

Karin Pfeffer is a geographer by training and has been working in the field of urban studies since 2003. She obtained the Phd degree in Physical Geography from Utrecht University, the NL, in 2003, after which she joined the Human Geography department at the University of Amsterdam till 2017. In May 2017, she was appointed Chair of Infrastructuring Urban Futures at the University of Twente.
Her chair investigates how urban governance actors develop, organize and practice access to urban infrastructure (transport, water, public space etc) and how geo-spatial data, methods and tools can enhance the planning of and access to urban infrastructures balancing sectorial and social priorities. It combines quantitative, spatial and qualitative methods and employs a multi-stakeholder perspective to generate information and knowledge from different data sources in urban areas and investigate its use in urban governance and (interactive) planning processes.
Over the years, she has developed and worked on various national and international research projects. She was involved in setting up a regional monitoring system for the metropolitan region of Amsterdam; investigated the role of spatial information infrastructures for tackling urban poverty in Indian cities; analysed how governments and citizens in cities with differing patterns of urban economic growth make use of spatial knowledge management to direct urban governance towards more sustainable development; and contributed to mapping deprived urban settlements using remote sensing based approaches. In the past few years, projects have focused on processes and practices of (co-) developing urban infrastructures including public spaces through collaborative knowledge production and participatory geo-spatial methods and planning support tools.
She has supervised and supervises MSc students, PhD candidates and postdoc researchers on: urbanization, mapping, modelling and analysis of different types of urban settlements, urban participatory research (auditory environment, energy needs, water provision, public space), (peri-) urban resilience, water governance and knowledge building processes, and transportation. Currently, she teaches in the Master of Geo-Information and Earth Observation and Spatial Engineering on topics of urbanization, infrastructure planning and spatial knowledge management.
Her chair investigates how urban governance actors develop, organize and practice access to urban infrastructure (transport, water, public space etc) and how geo-spatial data, methods and tools can enhance the planning of and access to urban infrastructures balancing sectorial and social priorities. It combines quantitative, spatial and qualitative methods and employs a multi-stakeholder perspective to generate information and knowledge from different data sources in urban areas and investigate its use in urban governance and (interactive) planning processes.
Over the years, she has developed and worked on various national and international research projects. She was involved in setting up a regional monitoring system for the metropolitan region of Amsterdam; investigated the role of spatial information infrastructures for tackling urban poverty in Indian cities; analysed how governments and citizens in cities with differing patterns of urban economic growth make use of spatial knowledge management to direct urban governance towards more sustainable development; and contributed to mapping deprived urban settlements using remote sensing based approaches. In the past few years, projects have focused on processes and practices of (co-) developing urban infrastructures including public spaces through collaborative knowledge production and participatory geo-spatial methods and planning support tools.
She has supervised and supervises MSc students, PhD candidates and postdoc researchers on: urbanization, mapping, modelling and analysis of different types of urban settlements, urban participatory research (auditory environment, energy needs, water provision, public space), (peri-) urban resilience, water governance and knowledge building processes, and transportation. Currently, she teaches in the Master of Geo-Information and Earth Observation and Spatial Engineering on topics of urbanization, infrastructure planning and spatial knowledge management.

Paola Pucci holds a PhD in Urban Planning and is a Full Professor of Urban Planning at Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi). She has participated in numerous national and international research projects on urban mobility and accessibility, travel behaviors, transport justice, electric transition, and the use of mobile phone data for urban analysis, often serving as team coordinator.
Her recent research includes projects such as Common-Access (DUT, ongoing); Raise_UB EIT_Urban Mobility project; EX-TRA, EU ERA-NET project; Car-dependency/Prin National Research (ongoing); Multimodal Hubs, PNRR Sustainable Mobility Center National research (ongoing).
Her publications are available here.
Her recent research includes projects such as Common-Access (DUT, ongoing); Raise_UB EIT_Urban Mobility project; EX-TRA, EU ERA-NET project; Car-dependency/Prin National Research (ongoing); Multimodal Hubs, PNRR Sustainable Mobility Center National research (ongoing).
Her publications are available here.

David Castells-Quintana holds a PhD in Economics from the Universidad de Barcelona (UB). He is currently an Associate Professor (Professor Agregat Serra Hunter) at the Department of Applied Economics of the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB) and an Adjunct Lecturer at the Study Abroad Program of the Fundació UAB. David is affiliated with the AQR-IREA Research Group at UB and is a member of the Spanish Network on Development Studies (REEDES). He also serves as a consultant for various international institutions.His research focuses on Economic Growth and Development, Inequality, Economic Geography and Urban Economics.

Francisco Rowe is Professor in Population Data Science and the Lead of the Geographic Data Science Lab at the Department of Geography and Planning within the University of Liverpool. His areas of expertise are: internal & international migration; human mobility; and geographic data science.
Francisco is featured in the Experts Database of the United Nations Network on Migration and two of his projects on Big Data, machine learning and migration are listed in the Data Innovation Directory of the International Organization for Migration. He has been invited to present his research at the United Nations Population & Development Division in New York and works closely with the Global Migration Data Analysis Centre within International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the UK2070 Commission, UK’s government organisations, including the Ordnance Survey and the ONS Data Campus, and commercial companies, Geolytix.
His work contributed to the United Nations Expert group meeting on `sustainable cities, human mobility and international migration', and the ONS Government Statistical Service Advisory Committee. Francisco is the current managing editor of REGION (2022-present), the journal of the European Regional Science Association (2018-present) and social media editor at the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A (2021-2023). The international reach of his research has been recognised by an award for the best paper published in the journal of Geographical Systems (2021) and in Spatial Economic Analysis (2018) and having top articles in the top 10 most read articles in Spatial Economic Analysis (2017-present), Transportation Research Part C (2018-2019) & Population Studies (2018-present).
Francisco is featured in the Experts Database of the United Nations Network on Migration and two of his projects on Big Data, machine learning and migration are listed in the Data Innovation Directory of the International Organization for Migration. He has been invited to present his research at the United Nations Population & Development Division in New York and works closely with the Global Migration Data Analysis Centre within International Organization for Migration, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the UK2070 Commission, UK’s government organisations, including the Ordnance Survey and the ONS Data Campus, and commercial companies, Geolytix.
His work contributed to the United Nations Expert group meeting on `sustainable cities, human mobility and international migration', and the ONS Government Statistical Service Advisory Committee. Francisco is the current managing editor of REGION (2022-present), the journal of the European Regional Science Association (2018-present) and social media editor at the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A (2021-2023). The international reach of his research has been recognised by an award for the best paper published in the journal of Geographical Systems (2021) and in Spatial Economic Analysis (2018) and having top articles in the top 10 most read articles in Spatial Economic Analysis (2017-present), Transportation Research Part C (2018-2019) & Population Studies (2018-present).

Dr. Markku Sotarauta is professor of regional development studies in 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.
Professor Sotarauta specialises in place leadership, institutional entrepreneurship, institutions and innovation in city and regional development. He has published widely on these issues in international journals and edited books. His latest publications include ‘Handbook on City and Regional Leadership’, edited with professor Andrew Beer and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. Professor Sotarauta has worked with the OECD, the Finnish Parliament, Swedish Innovation Agency (Vinnova) and many Finnish ministries as well as cities and regions both in Finland and in other countries.
Dr. Sotarauta serves Tampere District Co-operative Bank (OP Tampere) as the Chairman of Board of Directors. He also is a member of the OP Financial Group's Supervisory Council.
Professor Sotarauta specialises in place leadership, institutional entrepreneurship, institutions and innovation in city and regional development. He has published widely on these issues in international journals and edited books. His latest publications include ‘Handbook on City and Regional Leadership’, edited with professor Andrew Beer and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. Professor Sotarauta has worked with the OECD, the Finnish Parliament, Swedish Innovation Agency (Vinnova) and many Finnish ministries as well as cities and regions both in Finland and in other countries.
Dr. Sotarauta serves Tampere District Co-operative Bank (OP Tampere) as the Chairman of Board of Directors. He also is a member of the OP Financial Group's Supervisory Council.

Mr. Nikolaos Zacharis is the Director of the South East European Research Center (SEERC), a research center of CITY College, the University of York Europe Campus, since 2006. With over 30 years of experience as a consultant and manager, he has worked on issues ranging from innovation management to environmental management and regional development in Greece and several Eastern European countries.
At CITY College, he has served as the University-Industry Collaboration Manager and is a member of several committees, including the Research Committee and the Business and Economics Department’s International Advisory Board.
His research interests include science and innovation policy, societal engagement, regional development, and entrepreneurship. He coordinates SEERC’s research activities and is involved in various HORIZON-funded research projects (indicatively: ACCTING: Advancing behavioural change through an inclusive Green Deal; R-Map: Mapping, understanding, assessing and predicting the effects of remote working arrangements in urban and rural areas; SUPPORTER: Securing Sports Education through innovative and inclusive Gender Equality Plans).
At CITY College, he has served as the University-Industry Collaboration Manager and is a member of several committees, including the Research Committee and the Business and Economics Department’s International Advisory Board.
His research interests include science and innovation policy, societal engagement, regional development, and entrepreneurship. He coordinates SEERC’s research activities and is involved in various HORIZON-funded research projects (indicatively: ACCTING: Advancing behavioural change through an inclusive Green Deal; R-Map: Mapping, understanding, assessing and predicting the effects of remote working arrangements in urban and rural areas; SUPPORTER: Securing Sports Education through innovative and inclusive Gender Equality Plans).