The origins of the GIScience Research Group and the people who have served on its committee.
We are grateful to everyone who has served on the GIScience Research Group committee at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). Our chairs, officers and committee members have brought researchers and practitioners together to share their work and have supported students and early-career researchers.
The idea for GIScRG took shape at a meeting of the Association of American Geographers in 2002. Peter Fisher of the University of Leicester became its inaugural chair. Inaugural committee
The group held its first annual meeting at the Society’s 2003 conference in London. Ordnance Survey supported awards for presentations on postgraduate GIS research.
Committee affiliations
The map shows institutional affiliations during committee service. Each person is counted once per city.
UK and Ireland
People per city
Beyond the UK and Ireland
Milestones
2005–06. GIScRG and the Quantitative Methods Research Group began sharing committee representatives.
2009–11. The group introduced a dissertation competition in 2009. In 2011, the group agreed to focus the postgraduate prize on master’s dissertations. Dissertation prize archive
2015. The group agreed to fund two bursary places for early-career researchers at a workshop in Leicester celebrating Peter Fisher’s life.
2020–21. Andrea Ballatore started the GIScience Webinar Series with Justin van Dijk and Stef De Sabbata. The series brought speakers from around the world to share their work with the group. GIScience Webinar Series
2023. In January, the webinar series began a collaboration with GIS Research UK (GISRUK). Jointly organised webinars
Past committees
2025–26
Role
Committee members
Chair
Stef De Sabbata
Secretary
Rui Zhu
Treasurer
Kristina Wolf (until May 2026), Nick Bearman (from May 2026)
Membership secretary
Evgeny Noi
Prize secretary
Xiao Li
Website and social media
Pengyuan Liu, Meiliu Wu
Ordinary members
Seraphim Alvanides, Nick Bearman
2024–25
Role
Committee members
Chair
Stef De Sabbata
Secretary
Rui Zhu
Treasurer
Kristina Wolf
Membership secretary
Andrea Ballatore
Prize secretary
Xiao Li
Website and social media
Issam Al-kenani
Ordinary members
Ziqi Li (University of Glasgow), James Haworth, Godwin Yeboah, Seraphim Alvanides
2023–24
Role
Committee members
Chair
Stef De Sabbata
Secretary
Rui Zhu
Treasurer
Nick Bearman
Membership secretary
Andrea Ballatore
Prize secretary
Seraphim Alvanides
Website and social media
Issam Al-kenani
Ordinary members
Ziqi Li (University of Glasgow), Xiao Li, James Haworth, Ed Manley, Bonnie Buyuklieva, Godwin Yeboah
2022–23
Role
Committee members
Chair
Stef De Sabbata
Secretary
Ziqi Li (University of Glasgow)
Treasurer
Nick Bearman
Membership secretary
Andrea Ballatore
Prize secretary
Seraphim Alvanides
Website and social media
Issam Al-kenani
Conferences and events
Justin van Dijk
Postgraduate representative
Daniel Colson (from November 2022)
Ordinary members
James Haworth, Ed Manley, Bonnie Buyuklieva, Godwin Yeboah
2021–22
Role
Committee members
Chair
Seraphim Alvanides
Secretary
Stef De Sabbata
Treasurer
Nick Bearman
Prizes and awards
Seraphim Alvanides
Conferences and events
Justin van Dijk
Website and social media
Andrea Ballatore
Membership secretary
James Haworth
Ordinary members
Ed Manley, Bonnie Buyuklieva, Godwin Yeboah, Adam Dennett, Rebecca Sharpe
2020–21
Role
Committee members
Chair
Ed Manley
Secretary
Stef De Sabbata
Treasurer
Nick Bearman
Prizes and awards
Seraphim Alvanides
Website and social media
Andrea Ballatore
Postgraduate representative
Bonnie Buyuklieva
Membership secretary
James Haworth
Ordinary members
Godwin Yeboah, Adam Dennett, Rebecca Sharpe, Alan Smith
2019–20
Role
Committee members
Chair
Ed Manley
Secretary
Stef De Sabbata
Treasurer
Nick Bearman
Conferences and events
Alan Smith
Prizes and awards
Seraphim Alvanides
Website and social media
Andrea Ballatore
Postgraduate representative
Bonnie Buyuklieva
Membership secretary
James Haworth
Ordinary members
Godwin Yeboah, Adam Dennett, Rebecca Sharpe
2018–19
Role
Committee members
Chair
Ed Manley
Secretary
Adam Dennett
Treasurer
Nick Bearman
Conferences and events
Yi Gong (June 2018 handover), Alan Smith
Prizes and awards
Seraphim Alvanides
Postgraduate representative
Alekos Alexiou
Membership secretary
Rebecca Sharpe
Ordinary member
Alan Smith (June 2018 handover)
2017–18
Role
Committee members
Chair
Nick Malleson
Secretary
Adam Dennett
Treasurer
Alison Heppenstall
Prizes and awards
Seraphim Alvanides
Postgraduate representative
Alekos Alexiou
Conferences and events
Yi Gong
Membership secretary
Rebecca Sharpe
Ordinary members
Nick Bearman, Alan Smith
2016–17
Role
Committee members
Chair
Nick Malleson
Secretary
Adam Dennett
Treasurer
Alison Heppenstall
Prizes and awards
Seraphim Alvanides
Postgraduate representative
Alekos Alexiou
Conferences and events
Yi Gong
Membership secretary
Rebecca Sharpe
Ordinary members
Nick Bearman, Alan Smith
2015–16
Role
Committee members
Chair
Nick Malleson
Secretary and treasurer
Robin Lovelace
Prizes and awards
Seraphim Alvanides
Postgraduate representative
Alekos Alexiou
Conferences and events
Yi Gong
Ordinary members
Nick Bearman, Alan Smith
April 2015
Role
Committee members
Chair
Alex Singleton
Secretary and treasurer
Michail Pavlis
Prizes and awards
Joana Barros
Ordinary members
Nick Malleson, Seraphim Alvanides
2014
Role
Committee members
Chair
Seraphim Alvanides
Secretary
James Cheshire
Treasurer
Muki Haklay
Postgraduate representative and website support
Godwin Yeboah
2012–13
Role
Committee members
Chair
Seraphim Alvanides
Secretary
James Cheshire
Treasurer
Muki Haklay
Postgraduate representative and website
Godwin Yeboah
Conferences and events
Yi Gong
Prizes and awards
Joana Barros
Ordinary member
Nick Malleson
2011
Role
Committee members
Chair
Seraphim Alvanides
Secretary
James Cheshire
Treasurer
Muki Haklay
Conferences officer
Yi Gong
Prizes and awards
Joana Barros
Postgraduate representative and website
Tom Burgoine
2010
Role
Committee members
Joint chairs
Linda See, Alison Heppenstall
Secretary
Katherine Arrell
Treasurer
Muki Haklay
Postgraduate representative
James Cheshire
2009
Role
Committee members
Chair (outgoing)
Bob Abrahart
Joint chairs (incoming)
Linda See, Alison Heppenstall
Joint secretary (before handover)
Alison Heppenstall
Secretary (incoming)
Katherine Arrell
Treasurer
Muki Haklay
2008
Role
Committee members
Chair
Bob Abrahart
Secretary
Linda See
Treasurer
Muki Haklay
QMRG representative
Richard Harris
2007
Role
Committee members
Chair
Bob Abrahart
Joint secretaries
Alison Heppenstall, Linda See
Treasurer
Muki Haklay
Webmaster
Claire Chambers
Conference coordinator
Nick Tate
Prizes and awards coordinator
Věra Karasová
Postgraduate representative
Christian Castle
QMRG representative
David Ashby
2006
Role
Committee members
Chair
Bob Abrahart
Treasurer (outgoing)
Iain Lake
Treasurer (incoming)
Muki Haklay
Postgraduate representative (incoming)
Christian Castle
Prizes coordinator (incoming)
Věra Karasová
2005
Role
Committee members
Chair
Bob Abrahart
Treasurer
Iain Lake
Newsletter editor
Linda See
Postgraduate representative
Christian Castle
GIScRG representative on the QMRG committee
David Ashby
2004
Role
Committee members
Chair
Bob Abrahart
Secretary
Mairéad de Róiste
Treasurer
Iain Lake
Conference coordinator
Nick Tate
Webmaster
Roy Bradshaw (interim), Gary Priestnall (co-opted)