Xiaojuan Liu

I am a PhD student in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with an interest in contributing to a deeper understanding of urbanisation effects on biodiversity. Urbanisation is not only characterized by physical expansion but also increasing urban population sizes and consumption. Unlike most previous studies that merely measure the effect of physical expansion, the primary focus of my PhD research locates the effect of the urban system (including the direct effect of physical expansion and the indirect effect of urban consumption). Supervised by Prof Richard Fuller and Prof Xia Li, I employ spatial analysis and econometric models, collect socioeconomic data and biodiversity data sets, and develop indices to reveal the underlying mechanisms of how urbanization influences biodiversity on the global, national, and city levels.