Dr Urška Demšar

Dr Urška Demšar is a Senior Lecturer in Geoinformatics and Director of the Bell-Edwards Geographic Data Institute (BEGIN), a spatial data science research institute at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She studied mathematics at the University of Ljubljana and holds a PhD in Geoinformatics from the Royal Institute of Technology (Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan) in Stockholm, Sweden. She worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Maynooth University in Ireland and joined the School of Geography and Sustainable Development at the University of St Andrews in 2012, where she has led BEGIN since 2018.

Dr Demšar develops new analytical methods for spatio-temporal data, with a particular focus on techniques for analyzing movement data, such as trajectories collected via GPS tracking. She collaborates with researchers from other disciplines who study movement, including urban mobility experts and ecologists studying animal movements. Her vision is to demonstrate that cutting-edge data science methods including machine learning, can help solve some of the most complex challenges in movement ecology, such as the study of migratory navigation.

Dr Demšar is looking forward to welcome motivated doctoral and postdoctoral students working in the fields of analytical methods for spatio-temporal data, movement data analysis, and movement ecology (e.g. migratory navigation). Related areas are covered at the University of Ljubljana by the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering (geoinformatics), the Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport (transport), the Biotechnical Faculty (ecology and biodiversity), the Faculty of Computer and Information Science, and the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics (data science).

Visiting students are expected to work on their own research projects during their stay, with Dr Demšar providing advice and guidance. Co-authoring a joint publication is also possible.

The University of St Andrews offers various arrangements for visiting students, with stays ranging from 1 to 12 months. A tuition or enrolment fee is charged, which can be reduced upon request.

In addition, Dr Demšar is open to collaboration on joint projects with researchers from the University of Ljubljana.