Jan Nijman is a Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Urban Studies Institute at Georgia State University and Professor Emeritus in Geography at the University of Amsterdam. His expertise is in ancient and contemporary cities, economic development, and geopolitics. He has a special interest in Asian history and geography. He has authored over 100 academic articles and seven books, including the leading college textbook in the U.S. on world regional geography. Jan is a former Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of the Jackson Book Prize.