Dr Jianquan (James) Cheng

My profile

Biography

As an interdisciplinary scholar, my expertise spans urban planning, geography, environmental science, and digital technology.

My academic qualifications include a PhD in Urban Planning and Human Geography, awarded by the University of Utrecht in 2003, following a Master’s degree in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Urban Applications from the University of Twente.

As a committed academic, I serve as an academic editor for Humanities and Social Sciences Communications and PLOS ONE, and as an associate editor for both Frontiers in Sustainable Cities and the International Review for Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development. Additionally, I am a member of the ESRC Peer Review College and the British Council Social Sciences Review Panel. My academic work also includes hosting international scholars and engaging in collaborative partnerships with various universities, enriching the academic community through the dynamic exchange of knowledge and innovative approaches.

Interests and expertise

My research expertise encompasses urban growth, geographical mobility, spatial accessibility and inequality, and sustainable urbanisation, with a focus on applying GIS and big data methodologies. My recent projects have focused on measuring, analysing, and modelling the impacts of physical and built environments on public health and well-being at various scales, from national to street level, in both Chinese and British urban settings. These projects aim to provide data-driven evidence and insights, as well as to develop frameworks for spatial planning and governance. Key areas of my work include health inequality in medical and sports services, green and social exercise, climate impacts, and disability, utilising tools such as GIS, big data, virtual reality, and video analytics.

I am keen to mentor and collaborate with both local and international PhD students, including those funded by the China Scholarship Council, as well as academic visitors who are interested in these research domains.

Projects

EXTERNAL FUNDING (after 2006)

Modelling spatio-temporal association between urban street mobility and air pollution (with Prof Suhong Zhou at Sun Yat-sen University), Newton Mobility exchange grant between UK Royal Society and China NNSF (03/2020 - 03/2023).

Rethinking Healthy City In the post-Covid-19: Exposure, Mobility and Inequality (with Prof Suhong Zhou at Sun Yat-sen University), Newton Researcher Link Workshop Grant (jointly funded by the British Council and China NNSF) (2021-2022).

Perception and prediction of group crime risks based on tracking spatio-temporal data (with Dr Lian Duan at Nanning Normal University),  funded by China’s NSF (01/2020 - 12/2023).

Exploring Healthy City of Nanning, China, funded by Guangxi Bureau of Education.(2016-2020).

Inequities in the perceived environmental health risks and interventions in a fast developing country (with Prof Qiyan Wu at Xi’an Jiaotong University). funded by British Academy (2016-2017).

The detection of urban road congestion using sensor measurements (with Dr Nick Gould), DfT Transport Technology Research Innovation Grant (T-TRIG) (2016)

Mechanisms, measurements and impacts of regional spatial network - case study of Pan-Yangtze River Delta Region, funded by NSF of China (2016-2019).

Spatial Interactions on Urban Networks in the Central China, Case Studies: Hubei, Hunan and Henan Provinces (with Prof Chong Peng at Huazhou University of Science and Technology), funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (2012-2014).

Internal Mobility and Integration in China and the European Union (international collaboration between three universities in the UK, two institutions in China and one institution in Germany), organised by EU-COREACH and jointly funded by ESRC and British Academy on the UK side. (2009-2011).

Using Support Vector Machines to Support Land Use Change Modelling ((with Prof Bo Huang at Chinese University of Hong Kong), funded by Hong Kong Research Grant Council (CERG1) 2007-2009).

INTERNAL FUNDING (after 2013)

Virtual reality for computational healthy street, funded by RCASS (2022)

UK-China healthy city workshop at MMU, funded by GCRF QR (2018)

HLSS-RKE (MMU) research fellowship - Developing and evaluating multiple indicators of job accessibility. (2015-2016)

Parallel Computation for Accessibility-based Planning Support, funded by school of science and the environment. (2014-2015)

Developing CPD courses in environmental management, GIS and geography for Chinese market, funded by the Faculty of Science and Engineering (2013-2014)

Teaching

A university is more than just a hub for generating new knowledge; it’s also a platform for disseminating and critically examining knowledge through well-honed academic skills. My teaching philosophy centres on student engagement and active learning, fostering socially constructive methods for developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In my classes, I integrate international case studies and cutting-edge research to enrich the learning experience. The rapid advancements in geospatial technologies, including Big Data and AI, offer sophisticated quantitative methods for addressing geographical and environmental challenges and generating data-driven evidence. Acquiring proficiency in GIS not only enhances understanding but also significantly boosts employability. I lead the Digital World unit and contribute to other GIS and human geography courses, while also guiding students in their project work.

Courses

Supervision

Three ongoing PhD projects under supervision:

Miss Sandaru Nisansala Weerasinghe: Measuring the fear of crime to support healthy street environmental design (VC Scholarship) (Principal supervisor).

Ms Amanda Seville: Stories of Urban Injustice: voicing homeless through a soundmap of narratives (Leverhulme PhD Scholarship) 1st supervisor.

Ms Cailin Qiu: Physical Exercise Vitality on Urban Greenways  (China Scholarship Council) Joint supervisor.

I have hosted about 20 academic visits from Chinese universities (e.g. Wuhan University, Shandong University, Nanjing Normal University, Central China Normal University, Anhui Normal University, Nanning Normal University, Northwest University etc).

Research outputs

My research contributions emerge from multidisciplinary and international collaborations, primarily focused on planning, geography, urban studies, and GIS, with a particular emphasis on projects in China and the UK.

Career history

2016-now

Reader in Urban Studies, deputy director of MMU Crime and Well-being Big Data Center

2006-2016

Lecturer/senior lecturer in Urban GIS

2005-2006

Postdoctoral fellow at National Center for Geocomputation, Maynooth University, Ireland 

2003-2005

Postdoctoral fellow at Department of Geography and Planning, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2000-2006

Associate professor in Urban GIS, at School of Urban Design, Wuhan University

1999-2003

PhD study at University of Twente and University of Utrecht, The Netherlands

1993-1995

Msc study at University of Twente, The Netherlands