Justin van Dijk

Justin van Dijk is a lecturer in Social and Geographic Data Science at the Department of Geography, University College London (UCL), United Kingdom. Prior to joining UCL in 2018, he obtained a PhD from Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Originally trained as a quantitative human geographer and GIS-specialist at Utrecht University, the Netherlands, his research focuses upon the development of geo-spatial algorithms and methods for repurposing and analysing large, complex administrative datasets to better understand social and spatial inequalities. His recent research has focused upon analysis of demographic change in the UK using administrative data sources alongside longitudinal analysis of links between inter-regional migration outcomes, social mobility, and spatial inequality.

As a UNU-WIDER Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow, Van Dijk is involved in UNU-WIDER’s project Southern Africa – Towards Inclusive Economic Development. He is currently involved in improving and expanding the existing data infrastructure that supports the project’s six thematic workstreams. This includes shaping best practices for conducting safe research with privacy-sensitive individual-level data, promoting equitable access to the data infrastructure, integrating and linking diverse administrative data sources, and addressing the challenges of working with spatially referenced data.