鈴木晃志郎　SUZUKI Koshiro, Ph.D.

A cartographer, socio-behavioral geographer, and a cognitive mapping researcher, who is Fukuoka - Kyushu Prefecture’s native.

This Japanese geographer entered Ritsumeikan University initially for studying social issues. As a student at the geography department, he has studied geography under Dr. Takahashi Manabu and social research methods under Dr. Iwami Toshikatsu (later he became the mayor of Hyogo Prefecture). After his graduation and his enrollment in its graduate school, he went to the United States for one year majoring in Geographic Information Systems under Dr. Loren Siebert (from 1997 to 1998). After his homecoming, he also studied under Dr. Nakaya Tomoki for a short period before obtaining his M.A. degree.

Although his initial field of concern was sociological studies (such as conducting social research on QOL estimation and the behavior of elderly people in collaboration with Okayama City), he gradually developed a greater interest in cross-cultural aspects of human spatial cognition.

Consequently, he moved to Tokyo and enrolled in Tokyo Metropolitan University, becoming a disciple of Dr. Wakabayashi Yoshiki, who is largely known as the leading authority in behavioral geography in Japan. There, he continued his research on cross-cultural effects on human spatial cognition at the societal level from a variety of viewpoints (such as linguistic and visual information transmission).

He also completed a cross-cultural wayfinding experiment with the support of Dr. Reginald Golledge (UCSB) in 2005 as a visiting research scholar.

In 2006, he was appointed as a research assistant by the TMU Tourism Science Department founding committee. Then, in January 2008, he became an assistant professor of the newly established Tourism Science Department at TMU.

He also served as a member of the committee for the human resources cultivation institution for environmental protection and regional development from 2006 to 2007, and as a member of the study group for the ECO-TOP board of review from 2007 to 2008.

Since 2010, he has been appointed as an advisory board member of the Tomonoura Residential Convention by Hiroshima Prefecture.

Academic Record

Teaching and Working Experience

Activity in Academic Associations

Competence and Commendations

October 2004	Certification of 'Social Research Specialist' (No.000256)
2008-2009	Research grant: JSPS (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research: Category Youth-B: Head). The decision-making mechanism of a community facing 'development or conservation' dilemma (No. 20700673).
2009-2010	Commisioned Research Grant: Bureau of of industrial and labor affairs (Tokyo Metropolitan Government) The impacts of location huntings toward the residences and the role of film-commisions
2011-2012	Research grant: Hokuriku Bank (Hokugin Research grant for youth researchers). Exploring the social relations over exhaust water problem from nuclear power plant.
2016	Special Prize for the presentation Geographically constructed residential attitudes toward a public project (Organization for Promotion of Research, University of Toyama: with research grant)
2017	GIS Association Award: The book edited by Y. Wakabayashi Theories and practices in PPGIS. (Contributed a chapter)
2017-2020	Research grant: JSPS (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research: Category Main-A: Partner). The evaluation of the new technologies in GIS from the perspectives on human and society.
2018-2020	Research grant: JSPS (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research: Category Exploratory: Partner). The evaluation of the new technologies in GIS from the perspectives on human and society.
2020-2022	Research grant: JSPS (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research: Category Main-C: Head). An interdisciplinary study of geographic information ethics for the digital mapping generation (No. 20K01173)
2021-2023	The Mitsubishi Foundation Grant (Human Science Category: Partner). Research on the transformation of mobile society and new mobility styles after the end of infectious diseases.
2021-2024	Research grant: JSPS (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research: Category Exploratory: Partner). Interdisciplinary research for the ethical transformation of cities: sustainability, information, resilience, food, and economy.
2022-2025	Research grant: JSPS (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research: Category Main-B: Partner). Processes for the formation of new communities by local residents and movers in a mobile-preconditioned society.
2023-2026	Research grant: JSPS (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research: Category Main-C: Head). Supra-academic research on the potential and challenges of XR in e-tourism, loss of opportunity and equality. (No. 23K11645).