Abigail Cooke is Assistant Professor of Geography at University at Buffalo (SUNY). She is also a co-director of the Center for Trade, Environment, and Development (CTED, formerly CUSTAC). Her research focuses on the local and regional impacts of global flows. She has studied the impacts of low-wage country import competition in the US and the […]
Lars Coenen is an economic geographer and scholar in innovation studies. His research interests converge around the geography of innovation: Why is it that some regions and cities in the world stand out in their ability to foster and diffuse novelty? What explains this spatial concentration of innovation in an era of globalization? How can […]
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. […]
Dr Stefania Fiorentino is an Associate Professor at the University of Cambridge (Department of Land Economy), a Fellow of Downing College (Cambridge), and an Honorary Lecturer at the Bartlett School of Planning, University College London (UCL). Her research interest and expertise combine urban planning and economic geography for more inclusive and resilient local economic development […]
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 […]
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 full professor in Regional Economics at Utrecht University, and Professor 2 at UiS Business School of Stavanger University. Boschma has been full professor in Innovation Studies at Lund University where he was also director of the Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy (CIRCLE). He is member of the […]
Sarah Ayres is 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 context, […]
Professor Mia Gray is an economic geographer at Cambridge University and a fellow of Girton College. 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. Her work in […]
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. […]