James Cheshire is Professor of Geographic Information and Cartography in the UCL Department of Geography and the inaugural director of the UCL Social Data Institute. A world-leading map maker and geographer, his cartographic creations have been enjoyed by millions. He is an elected fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and has been recognised with awards from the likes of the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and the British Cartographic Society.

James’ books have achieved global success, being translated into tens of languages and receiving widespread critical acclaim. His co-authored book Atlas of the Invisible won the American Association of Geographer’s Globe Award for a book that conveys most powerfully the nature and importance of geography to the non-academic world, and more recently he contributed to the maps for the Atlas of Finance which won awards for professional and scholarly excellence from the Association of American Publishers.

James has made significant contributions to the social sciences, particularly in spatial data analysis and visualisation. He also oversees a world-leading programme of data intensive teaching to undergraduates in the social sciences, which includes a thriving internship scheme. James’s research portfolio is extensive and interdisciplinary, covering topics such as behavioural changes during COVID-19, cartographic representation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and innovative visualisations of population datasets. His work has been supported by over £15 million in research funding, and he has helped to create data and mapping portals that have been widely used in education and policy.

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