News and Events

At the annual meeting of the Regional Studies Association, Prof. Heike Mayer was appointed as the Association`s new President. In this role, she follows Professor John Agnew, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) who steps down as president. The Regional Studies Association (RSA) is a learned society concerned with the analysis of regions and regional issues and it was founded in 1965. Heike will the Association`s first female president and she is looking forward to work with the RSA membership and staff on issues related to equal opportunities, sustainability transformation and science-policy dialogue.

To read more about Heike's appointment, click here.

Following Heike Mayer’s appointment as Vice-Rector for Quality, Ottavia Cima has taken over part of the coordination of the Economic Geography Unit at GIUB, including teaching, supervision and the representation of the Unit in the Institute Council. Having previously worked at the University of Fribourg and the University of Luxembourg, Ottavia has been a postdoctoral researcher at GIUB since February 2022. Her research interests focus on just and sustainable development and span from agricultural change in Central Asia to urban manufacturing in Swiss cities.

Ottavia is member of the Community Economies Institute, the community of scholars and activists that has gathered around JK Gibson-Graham’s work on Diverse Economies. She has also recently joined the Editorial Board of Geographica Helvetica, the Swiss journal of geography.