# Rachel Franklin ![Profile photo of Rachel Franklin](/sites/g/files/omnuum11426/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-07/Rachel_pic_0.jpg?itok=X8j4o2EU) Rachel Franklin is Executive Director of the [Center for Geographic Analysis](https://gis.harvard.edu/) (CGA), housed within the [Institute for Quantitative Social Science](https://www.iq.harvard.edu) (IQSS). Before joining the CGA, she was Professor of Geographic Analysis in the [Center for Urban and Regional Development Studies](https://www.ncl.ac.uk/curds/) (CURDS) at Newcastle University and the Group Leader for Livability in the Science of Cities and Regions program at [The Alan Turing Institute](https://www.turing.ac.uk/), the UK's national institute for data science and AI. Prior to that she was the Associate Director of the [Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences](https://s4.brown.edu) (S4) initiative and Associate Professor (Research) in Population Studies at Brown University. A spatial demographer (or population geographer, depending who’s asking), Rachel’s primary research focus is the interplay between spatial analytics and demographic change, in particular quantifying patterns, sources, and impacts of spatial inequality. She likes new, old, and big data, especially when it’s spatial and particularly when it’s deployed in response to new, old, and big societal challenges—right now she’s especially excited about satellite imagery for social science and health research and policymaking. ## Recent Publications Download 5 citations download- [BibTeX](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=5&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&&format=bibtex) - [EndNote X3 XML](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=5&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&&format=endnote8) - [EndNote 7 XML](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=5&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&&format=endnote7) - [Endnote tagged](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=5&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&&format=tagged) - [Marc](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=5&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&&format=marc) - [PubMedId](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=5&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&&format=pubmed_id) - [RIS](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=5&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters=&&&format=ris) ### 2025 [Mind the gap: gender, geography and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on publication in Regional Studies Association (RSA) journals](/publication/mind-gap-gender-geography-and-effects-covid-19-pandemic-publication-regional-studies). (2025). *Regional Studies*, *59*(1), 2485131+. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2025.2485131 [Mind the gap: gender, geography and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on publication in Regional Studies Association (RSA) journals](/publication/mind-gap-gender-geography-and-effects-covid-19-pandemic-publication-regional-studies). (2025). *Regional Studies*, *59*(1), 2485131+. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2025.2485131 - add\_circle do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2025.2485131) The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were deep and lasting, and the effects on research and researchers have been widely documented. This paper contributes to this literature through an investigation of the gendered and geographical impacts of the... - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2025.2485131) [Regional varieties of ‘left-behindness’ in the EU15](/publication/regional-varieties-left-behindness-eu15). (2025). *Regional Studies*, *59*(1), 2417704+. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2024.2417704 [Regional varieties of ‘left-behindness’ in the EU15](/publication/regional-varieties-left-behindness-eu15). (2025). *Regional Studies*, *59*(1), 2417704+. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2024.2417704 - add\_circle do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2024.2417704) Recent debates about ?left behind? places have opened up new opportunities to understand the interconnected challenges faced by many regions in the Global North. At the same time, the application of this label to a wide variety of places with different... - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2024.2417704) [Rethinking GIScience Education in an Age of Disruptions](/publication/rethinking-giscience-education-age-disruptions). (2025). *Transactions in GIS*, *29*(2), e70048+. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.70048 [Rethinking GIScience Education in an Age of Disruptions](/publication/rethinking-giscience-education-age-disruptions). (2025). *Transactions in GIS*, *29*(2), e70048+. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.70048 - add\_circle do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.70048) ABSTRACT GIS and GIScience education have continually evolved over the past three decades, responding to technological advances and societal issues. Today, the content and context in which GIScience is taught continue to be impacted by these disruptions... - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://doi.org/10.1111/tgis.70048) [A spatial decision support framework for equitable sensor network distribution in the smart city](/publication/spatial-decision-support-framework-equitable-sensor-network-distribution-smart-city). (2025). *The Geographical Journal*, *191*(1), e12605+. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12605 [A spatial decision support framework for equitable sensor network distribution in the smart city](/publication/spatial-decision-support-framework-equitable-sensor-network-distribution-smart-city). (2025). *The Geographical Journal*, *191*(1), e12605+. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12605 - add\_circle do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12605) Abstract This paper introduces a proof-of-concept spatial decision support system (SDSS) that assists decision-makers to generate equitably distributed sensor networks and evaluate their placement with reference to specific population-based coverage... - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12605) [A research agenda for GIScience in a time of disruptions](/publication/research-agenda-giscience-time-disruptions). (2025). *International Journal of Geographical Information Science*, *39*(1), 1-24,. https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2024.2405191 [A research agenda for GIScience in a time of disruptions](/publication/research-agenda-giscience-time-disruptions). (2025). *International Journal of Geographical Information Science*, *39*(1), 1-24,. https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2024.2405191 - add\_circle do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2024.2405191) Social issues, AI, and climate change are just a few of the disruptive focuses impacting science. The field of GIScience is well positioned to respond to accelerating disruptions due to the interdisciplinary nature of the field and the ability of... - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2024.2405191) [ View All Publications arrow\_circle\_right ](/publications)