Rate My Professor Ate Poorthuis

Ate Poorthuis is an associate professor in the Division of Geography and Tourism within the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science at KU Leuven. He holds the title of Assistant Professor of Big Data and Human-Environment Systems. Poorthuis earned his PhD in Geography from the University of Kentucky, MSc (Research) in Metropolitan Studies from the University of Amsterdam, and BSc in Human Geography from the University of Amsterdam. Prior to joining KU Leuven in June 2020, he served as a faculty member in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at the Singapore University of Technology and Design. He leads the Spatial and MoBility Analytics Lab (SAMBAL) and is a member of the KU Leuven Institute for Mobility (LIM) and the KU Leuven Urban Studies Institute (LUSI).

Poorthuis's research focuses on urban geography and geographic data science, utilizing spatial analysis, big data, and visualization to examine urban systems. His academic interests include the possibilities and limitations of big data for understanding human mobility, spatial inequality, neighborhood change such as gentrification, urban amenities and their role in intergroup encounters, effects of urban street configurations on activity spaces, and practical applications in urban planning and policy. Key publications include "Mapping the Invisible: Decoding Perceived Urban Smells Through Geosocial Media in New York City" (Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 2025, with Q. Chen and A. Crooks); "Cocooning Throughout Our Daily Lives: Evidence from a Multi-Scalar Analysis of Ethnic Activity Space Segregation in Rotterdam" (Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 2025, with A. Govind and B. Derudder); "Neighbors and visitors: impact of diversity on attitudes toward migrants" (Ethnic and Racial Studies, 2025, with O. Holubowska and D. Dementeva); "How Much Can Optimization of Hypofractionation Help to Reduce Carbon Equivalent Emissions? A Single-Center Modeling Study" (Advances in Radiation Oncology, 2025, with D. Vanmarcke et al.); and "Being Smarter about Space: Drawing Lessons from Spatial Science" (Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 2020, with M. Zook). He has also contributed editorially with "Editorial: Geographica - A New Space for Visual Storytelling in TESG" (Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 2025). Poorthuis's work advances quantitative insights into urban dynamics and informs policy through visualization and analysis.