Eric Sheppard, PhD, is Distinguished Research Professor of Geography Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a member of its Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and Institute on Inequality and Democracy. He previously held the Alexander von Humboldt Chair at UCLA and a Regents Professorship at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Sheppard has traveled and conducted research throughout the global South, with a particular focus recently on southeast Asia. He has published numerous books and articles on topics that range across geographical political economy, urban politics and dynamics, geographical thought and methods, critical geospatial technologies, social movements, and socio-spatial theory. Dr. Sheppard is the recipient of awards including Distinguished Scholarship Honors from the American Association of Geographers, the Distinguished Teaching Award from UCLA, Honorary Doctor of Laws from Bristol University, and a fellowship from the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.
Helga Leitner, PhD, is Research Professor of Geography Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a member of its Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and Institute on Inequality and Democracy. She was previously Professor of Geography and Global Studies at the University of Minnesota, and is a corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. One of the highlights of her career has been sojourns spent living, working, and traveling in many parts of the world. Dr. Leitner has published numerous books, articles, and book chapters on the politics of immigration and citizenship, immigrant incorporation, globalization, urban transformations and sustainability, grassroots movements, and socio-spatial theory. Dr. Leitners research and teaching have been recognized with awards including Distinguished Scholarship Honors from the American Association of Geographers, the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Graduate and Professional Education from the University of Minnesota, and the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art.