PhD topics
There is currently no funded position in my team. However, if you are able to self-fund your studies, lease reach out (martin.fleischmann@natur.cuni.cz).
Bachelor’s or Master’s topics
Students are invited to work on Bachelor’s or Master’s theses on topics linked to the research areas of the ongoing projects and on the general scope of the work of the team. Note that with an exception of urban morphology, primarily quantitative methods are expected to be used.
Projects can be written in Czech or English.
Spatial Data Science and advanced methods of quantitative geography
Proposals methodically falling under spatial data science and usage of advanced methods of quantitative geography are generally welcome even on topics other than those listed here.
Modifiable Areal Unit Problem in urban environments
Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP) deals with selecting a spatial unit of analysis and its impacts on the analysis results. Cities are known for their heterogeneity, and a spatial unit suitable for the historical core may need to be revised in the modernist housing estates. This project should examine the issue and assess the suitability of commonly used spatial units and the problems they may bring.
English language preferred.
Network-constrained Ripley’s functions for spatial cluster analysis
Ripley’s “alphabet” of functions is aimed at an assessment of a randomness of point patterns based on distances between the points (and random samples in some cases). Such point patterns can represent locations of accidents involving pedestrians, locations of retain and other services, locations or AirBnBs and similar. However, the distances are generally measured in Euclidean space. This topic should extent the current methods to determine the randomness and evenness of allocation of points of interest along the street network, which is critical when evaluating point patterns in urban environment. Or in theory, any arbitrary distance matrix (e.g. multi-modal travel model), where such a conceptualisation should be favoured.
English language preferred.
Urban morphology
Culture and politics and their effects on the shape of urban development
Echoes of the past in the shape of our cities
The project shall quantitatively explore the relationship between how cities are built and the cultural and political context that has influenced that. The scope can vary from local to global use cases.
Social diversity of housing
The ability of types of housing to host people from different socio-economic population groups differs, but it is largely unmapped. The work shall look at selected aspects of population composition and evaluate how different housing patterns (e.g., single-family housing, perimeter blocks, housing estates) support various population groups.
Classification of urban environments
The complexity of the urban environment is unfathomable. To be able to work with it, we need to reduce its dimensionality to a subset of categories roughly representing the breadth of options. Students are invited to develop such classification, capturing selected perspectives of urban analytics.
People: spatial dimension of behaviour
The project aims to develop a quantitative classification of the population based on selected aspects of human behaviour (e.g. internet usage patterns, daily mobility).
Places: what is around
Classification of urban space according to its function. Where do we find specific categories of POIs? Which places are more accessible than the others? Why is that?