# People ## People [### Rachel Franklin ](/people/rachel-franklin) [rachel\_franklin@cga.harvard.edu](mailto:rachel_franklin@cga.harvard.edu)Executive Director Dr. Rachel Franklin started as Executive Director of the CGA in March of 2025, bringing more than 20 years’ experience as an educator and researcher in GIS, spatial analysis, and quantitative methods. Her research interests are in the sources and impacts... ![photo of rachel franklin](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/headshot_franklin.jpg?itok=Z2hFlGzX) [### S (Subu) Subramanian ](/people/s-subu-v-subramanian) Chair, CGA Faculty Advisory Group 2020 - present S V Subramanian is Professor of Population Health and Geography at Harvard University. He was the Founding Director of Graduate Studies for the interdisciplinary PhD program in Population Health Sciences at Harvard. He has published over 700 articles... ![SV-Subramanian](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/s-v-subramanian.jpeg?itok=yP6BJ4IC) [### Jeff Blossom ](/people/jeff-blossom) GIS Services Manager, 2016 - present Senior GIS Specialist, 2007 - 2015 Jeff joined the Center for Geographic Analysis at Harvard in 2007 as a Senior GIS Specialist, and became the GIS Service Manager in 2016. He has experience working in the GIS industry as a technician, analyst, developer, manager, and educator. Jeff earned... ![photo of Jeff Blossom](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/Jeff_Blossom_Photo_2025.jpg?itok=GK0rBUx1) [### Devika Jain ](/people/devika-kakkar) GIS Data Science Manager At CGA, Devika Jain leads the area of GeoAI, Spatial Data Science and Big Data using High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Cloud Computing. She has led the development of impactful solutions, including TSGI (a UN-recognized spatial well-being metric), RINX... person [### Lingbo Liu ](/people/lingbo-liu) Research Associate, Aug. 2024 - present Lecturer, Jan.2026 - present Postdoctoral Fellow, Jul. 2022 - Jul. 2024 Visiting Scholar, Sep. 2021 - Jun. 2022 Lingbo Liu is a Research Associate at the CGA, and a lecturer on geographic analysis at Department of Government. He was a CGA post-doctoral research fellow, and previously a lecturer in the Department of Urban Planning, School of Urban Design, Wuhan... ![lingbo-cga2024.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/lingbo-cga2024.jpg?itok=P3OtfFuI) [### Zifu Wang ](/people/zifu-wang)Postdoctoral Researcher (May 2025 – Present) Zifu Wang, Ph.D. is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA), Harvard University, whose research lies at the intersection of Geographic Information Science (GIS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and computational science... ![Zifu](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/image.png?itok=FDhyCzzK) [### Jaiany Rocha Trindade ](/people/jaiany-rocha-trindade) Visiting Fellow Jaiany Rocha Trindade is a PhD candidate in Marketing at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and a Visiting Fellow at the Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA) at Harvard University. In 2025, she received the AMS Review–Sheth Foundation... ![Photo of Jaiany](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2026-04/JAIANY_217_up.JPG?itok=CuISy-BU) [### Jielu (Jenny) Zhang ](/people/jielu-jenny-zhang) [jielu\_zhang@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:jielu_zhang@fas.harvard.edu)Postdoctoral Researcher (May 2025 – Present) Jielu (Jenny) Zhang is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Geographic Analysis at Harvard University. She holds a Ph.D. in Geography and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Georgia. With a strong interdisciplinary background... ![Jielu](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/Jielu.jpg?itok=Rvr0V8oa) [### Xiran Zhou ](/people/xiran-zhou)Visiting Scholar (May 2025-Present) Xiran Zhou is currently an associate professor at the China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT). He earned his M.A. from Wuhan University and his Ph.D. from Arizona State University. His research interests span geospatial pattern recognition, earth... ![Xiran](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/Photo.png?itok=RbrWM9JJ) ## Past Leadership [### Peter Bol ](/people/peter-bol)Charles H. Carswell Professor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, FAS Founding Director of the Center for Geographic Analysis Professor Bol led the Harvard University-wide effort to establish support for geospatial analysis in teaching and research. He was named first director of the Center for Geographic Analysis when it was founded in 2005. As a leading advocate and user of... ![Peter-Bol](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/Peter-Bol.jpg?itok=V5yHJck9) [### Jason Ur ](/people/jason-ur) CGA Director 2014 - 2020 Jason Ur is Professor of Archaeology in the Department of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Geographic Analysis in 2014-2020. He studies the origins and development of cities and empires in the Middle East and their landscape impacts, using... ![Jason-Ur](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/jason-ur.jpg?itok=BylvwEG1) [### Wendy Guan ](/people/wendy-guan) Executive Director, 2014 - February 2025 Director of GIS Research Services, 2006 - 2013 Wendy Guan was the Executive Director of the Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA) at Harvard University from 2014 until her retirement in February of 2025. Before that she was the Director of Research Services at Harvard CGA. Since 2013 Wendy also managed... ![wendyguan2022.png](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/wendyguan2022.png?itok=VORyIcL3) ## Faculty Affiliates [### Peter Bol ](/people/peter-bol-0)CGA Founding Director 2005 - 2014 Peter Bol is the Charles H. Carswell Professor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations. He was the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning (2013-2018). Prof. Bol led Harvard’s university-wide effort to establish support for geospatial analysis in teaching... ![photo of Peter Bol](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/bol.jpg?itok=5UC98YUU) [### Lisa Berkman ](/people/lisa-berkman)Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy and of Epidemiology Director, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard School of Public Health Doctor Berkman is an internationally-recognized social epidemiologist whose work focuses extensively on social and policy influences on health outcomes. As Director of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies her research focuses on... ![berkman_lisa.png](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/berkman_lisa.png?itok=6J7-SuZ9) [### Suzanne Blier ](/people/suzanne-blier)Allen Whitehill Clowes Professor of Fine Arts and Professor of African and African American Studies, Department of History of Art and Architecture, FAS Professor Blier is the co-creator of Africamap, a platform for visualizing, analyzing, and sharing maps and geographic datasets related to African studies. This project expanded into Worldmap, which now hosts research for over 20,000 people, mostly... ![Suzanne-Blier](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/suzanne-blier.jpg?itok=09sTCqG7) [### John Brownstein ](/people/john-brownstein)Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School John Brownstein, Ph.D is Professor at Harvard Medical School, Chief Innovation Officer of Boston Children’s Hospital, and Director of the Computational Epidemiology Lab and the Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator at Boston Children’s. His work aims... ![photo of Brownstein](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/brownstein.jpg?itok=YmowI9yb) [### Marcia Castro ](/people/marcia-castro)Andelot Professor of Demography, Harvard School of Public Health Marcia Castro is the Andelot Professor of Demography, chair of the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, and director of the Brazil Studies Program of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American... ![Head photo of Marcia Castro.](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Face-2025.jpg?itok=ElmJR3No) [### Ryan Enos ](/people/ryan-enos)Professor of Government, FAS Ryan D. Enos specializes in American Politics, Political Psychology, and Race and Ethnic Politics. He studies political behavior and intergroup attitudes through laboratory and field experiments and spatial analysis. He directs the Working Group in... ![photo of Enos](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/ryan_enos.png?itok=ke2KRG-6) [### Henry Louis Gates, Jr. ](/people/henry-louis-gates-jr)Alphonse Fletcher, Jr. University Professor Director, Hutchins Center for African & African American Research Henry Louis Gates Jr. is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic, and institution builder. Professor Gates is a founder of the AfricaMap and WorldMap map platforms which support a range of map-based collaborations... ![Henry-Louis-Gates-Jr](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/Henry-Louis-Gates-Jr.jpg?h=979ee68e&itok=l8OpZIR6) [### Andrew Gordon ](/people/andrew-gordon)Lee and Juliet Folger Fund Professor of History Andy Gordon directs the extensive Japan Disasters Archive and JapanMap, which preserve both real-time information related to the Sendai earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, as well as accounts of the aftermath. As an historian of Modern Japan, Gordon is... ![photo of Gordon](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/gordon_larger.jpg?itok=zid3wrIr) Show morerefresh ## Associates [### Nicole Alexander ](/people/nicole-alexander) CGA Associate May 2006 - present Nicole is a Visiting Researcher at the CGA and was previously on the Oracle Spatial development team. She currently works for Apple. Nicole has a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a M.S. in Geographic and Geodetic... ![nicoleaharvard.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/nicoleaharvard_1.jpg?itok=xzzuIh7B) [### Dorian Arifi ](/people/dorian-arifi)Visiting Fellow (Mar. 2025-Present) Dorian Arifi is a PhD student at the University of Salzburg, holding an MSc in Data Science with a focus on Deep Learning and Database Management. He also earned a BSc in Economics from Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, specializing in statistical... ![Dorian](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/md08606_kopie_2_1.jpg?itok=JiTmSLna) [### Scott Bell ](/people/scott-bell) CGA Associate and Lead Instructor, Harvard GIS Institute 2009 - present Scott Bell is a Professor of Geography and Planning at the University of Saskatchewan and teaches GIS, Cartography, and human geography. He has expertise in advanced applications of GIS and GIS training for academic research. Scott holds an MA and PhD in... ![68685685_10157568430039540_8787068265126952960_n.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/68685685_10157568430039540_8787068265126952960_n.jpg?itok=rmkhZ-j6) [### Junyi Chen ](/people/junyi-chen) GIS Analyst (part time), Nov. 2024 - present CGA Affiliate, July 2021 - July 2023 Junyi Chen is a master’s student in Machine Learning and Data Science at Northwestern University, beginning her studies in fall 2024. She graduated Cum Laude from Stony Brook University in December 2021, earning dual bachelor's degrees in mathematics &... ![yunyi_chen_2024.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/yunyi_chen_2024.jpg?itok=YZ1IXfIL) [### Connie Chen ](/people/connie-chen) CGA Associate Aug. 2023 - present Connie Chen is a preceptor in geospatial analysis at Harvard University's Government Department and an associate with the Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA). She holds a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Florida, an MS in... ![Connie Chen.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/connie_1.jpg?itok=YVtFdHHp) [### Crhistian González-Cuatianquis ](/people/crhistian-gonzalez-cuatianquis) [crhistianjoel\_gonzalezcuatianquis@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:crhistianjoel_gonzalezcuatianquis@fas.harvard.edu)GIS Research Fellow Crhistian Joel González-Cuatianquis is a PhD candidate in Regional Science and Economic Geography at the Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI), with a background in economics. He previously worked at Mexico’s National Council for the Evaluation of Social... ![A photo of Crhistian](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2026-02/crhistian.jpg?itok=TWtHC5Dj) [### Yogya Kalra ](/people/yogya-kalra) CGA Affiliate Oct. 2021 - present Yogya Kalra is an undergraduate student at Western University in London, Canada, pursuing a double degree in Biology and Business Administration. He is passionate about using communication, geospatial analysis, and community-building to amplify the impact... ![Photo of Yogya Karla](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/headshotsunday.jpg?itok=Ew9jzyVj) [### Jan Kinne ](/people/jan-kinne) [jan\_kinne@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:jan_kinne@fas.harvard.edu)CGA Associate Sep. 2022 - present Jun. - Aug. 2019 Jan Kinne is a postdoc in the research area "Economics of Innovation and Business Dynamics" at the Center for European Economic Research. He studied geoinformatics at the University of Heidelberg and received his PhD from the University of Salzburg on the... ![kinne.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/kinne.jpg?itok=McUYD32J) [### Akhil Kumar ](/people/akhil-kumar) CGA Affiliate Oct. 2021 - present Akhil Kumar is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto who works closely with the Geographic Insights Lab on research related to Health and Population Development in India and the United States. Topics of his research include child... ![img_5704_akhil.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/img_5704_akhil.jpg?itok=nB6UT43_) [### Josh Lieberman ](/people/josh-lieberman) CGA Associate 2014 - present Josh is a senior research scientist at CGA working on hydrographic ontologies and semantic applications for the U.S. National Map as part of the new Spatiotemporal Innovation Center. He also serves as a coordinating architect and initiative manager for... ![josh lieberman](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/josh-liberman.jpg?h=87c4d55a&itok=nUVW638y) [### Jōsh Mysoré ](/people/josh-mysore)Intern (June 2025-Present) Josh is a senior at Harvard College in Pforzheimer House double concentrating in Computer Science and Social Studies. His technical interests span the ethics of ai, natural language processing algorithms, and systems engineering. On the side, he enjoys... ![Josh](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/Headshot-Zoomed.JPG?itok=5ilbsir5) [### Bernd Resch ](/people/bernd-resch-resch) CGA Associate Apr. 2013 - present Bernd Resch is a Full Professor of Geo-social AI at IT:U and a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University's Center for Geographic Analysis (USA). Bernd Resch did his PhD in the area of “Live Geography” (real-time monitoring of environmental geo-processes)... ![bernd_resch_2025.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/bernd_resch_2025.jpg?itok=hu0bvExf) Show morerefresh ## Alumni [### Erin Abbott ](/people/erin-abbott) Undergraduate Research Fellow Jun. - Aug. 2020, Jan. - Mar. 2021 Erin Abbott is a senior at the University of Chicago pursuing a major in Environmental and Urban Studies, minor in GIS, and pre-med. Following graduation, she will be heading to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai as part of the FlexMed program... ![erin_abbott.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/erin_abbott.jpg?itok=IqVrInBc) [### Rafael Albuquerque ](/people/rafael-albuquerque) Visiting Fellow (Feb. 2025-June 2025) Rafael Albuquerque is a Ph.D. candidate in Marketing at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), specializing in data analysis and modeling in consumer behavior research. His research explores how different levels of e-WOM (electronic word-of... ![Rafael](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/photo.jpeg?itok=ORdfIylb) [### Sarah Arnold ](/people/sarah-arnold) [ arnolds96@yahoo.com ]()Undergraduate Research Fellow Jun. 2018 - Aug. 2018 Sarah Arnold is a recent graduate of DePaul University, with bachelor degrees in both Geography and Philosophy. She is currently with the CGA as an NSF Research Fellow and is interested in exploring projects that involve a dynamic production of knowledge... ![photo of Sarah](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/sarah_arnold.jpg?itok=J2WInuS0) [### Trevor Bloom ](/people/trevor-bloom) Undergraduate Research Fellow May - Aug. 2021 Trevor Bloom is a senior at the University of Colorado Boulder pursuing a major in Environmental Studies with a minor in Geography. He is currently working as an NSF REU Student Research Fellow at the Center for Geographic analysis and is excited to be... ![trevor_bloom.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/trevor_bloom.jpg?itok=qtZeAmqS) [### Stacy Bogan ](/people/stacy-bogan)GIS Specialist Aug. 2012 - Feb. 2018 Stacy came to Harvard in 2012 with work experience in consulting, the non-profit sector, and the arts. In the past she could be found guiding researchers through the Atlantic rainforest in Brazil, managing data for the remediation of... ![photo of Stacy](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/sbogan-sm1.jpg?itok=j3BzcCoj) [### Eamon Breen ](/people/eamon-breen) Undergraduate Research Fellow Jun. - Jul. 2022 Eamon is an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst studying Urban Geography and French, while also pursuing a minor in Sustainable Community Development. He is currently working at the Center for Geographic Analysis as an NSF REU Student... ![eamon_breen.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/eamon_breen.jpg?itok=T23axDfE) [### Samantha Carr ](/people/samantha-carr) Undergraduate Research Fellow May - June 2020; July - August 2019 Samantha Carr is pursuing a degree in Urban Systems at McGill University, concentrating in the fields of GIS, Urban Planning and Architecture. She is currently working with the Center for Geographic Analysis as an NSF REU Student Research Fellow and is... ![samantha_carr.png](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/samantha_carr.png?itok=Zra2BICT) [### Mohit Chaurasiya ](/people/mohit-chaurasiya) CGA Affiliate Jan. 2022 - Jun. 2023 Mohit Chaurasiya is a second-year undergraduate at the Netaji Subhas University of Technology, majoring in Geoinformatics. His research interests lie in the domain of Population Health Sciences and Epidemiology. Mohit is the Founder and Chairperson of the... ![mohit_chaurasiya.png](/sites/g/files/omnuum9996/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gis/files/mohit_chaurasiya_1.png?itok=y0ZFrMsF) Show morerefresh