Jianquan Cheng

Dr. Jianquan (James) Cheng is a Reader in Urban Health and Analytics at Manchester Metropolitan University, with a multidisciplinary background in urban planning, geography, environmental science, and digital technology. He serves as deputy director of the MMU Crime and Well-being Big Data Center and is actively involved in international collaborations and editorial roles.

• PhD in Urban Planning and Human Geography, University of Utrecht (2003)
• MSc in GIS for Urban Applications, University of Twente (2000–2003)

His research focuses on urban growth, geographical mobility, spatial accessibility and inequality, and sustainable urbanisation, utilizing GIS, big data, virtual reality, and video analytics to study public health and well-being in Chinese and British urban contexts. Recent projects address health inequality in medical services, climate impacts, and disability, with a particular emphasis on data-driven frameworks for spatial planning and governance.

His publications and research projects highlight a trend toward integrating spatiotemporal analysis with public health, climate adaptation, and urban resilience, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions like China’s Yangtze River Economic Belt and Guangxi mountainous areas. While he has not received explicitly named scientific awards, his editorial roles with journals such as PLOS ONE and Frontiers in Sustainable Cities reflect his academic leadership. He mentors PhD students and hosts visiting scholars, including those funded by the China Scholarship Council, and has guided projects on urban mobility, air pollution, and healthy city initiatives. His work often involves advanced computational methods, such as geographically weighted regression and node-based network analysis, and is supported by grants from the Royal Society, British Academy, and Hong Kong RGC.