UW’s Hamerlinck Leads University Consortium for Geographic Information Science

Jeff Hamerlinck, University of Wyoming School of Computing associate director and senior research scientist, has become president of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS).

Hamerlinck's one-year term as UCGIS president began July 1, after he served as president-elect the previous 12 months. During his term, he will preside over the UCGIS 30th Anniversary Symposium June 23-27, 2025, at UW. Hamerlinck will serve as the organization's past president for one year following his term.

UCGIS is the leading U.S. academic organization dedicated to the advancement of geospatial information science research, education and policy endeavors in higher education and with allied institutions. As a nonprofit organization, it provides communities of practice for the academic geospatial community in the United States and internationally. For more information, go to www.ucgis.org.

Before being elected to this position, Hamerlinck served UCGIS in several capacities, including as board secretary and chair of the UCGIS Policy and External Relations Committee.

"Since its establishment, UCGIS has provided an important space for advancing geographic information science as both an interdisciplinary field of study and a foundation for an ever-growing and cross-cutting area of professional practice," Hamerlinck says. "My engagement with UCGIS has greatly benefited our collective efforts to grow geospatial capacity at UW and across the state, and I look forward to continuing to promote the consortium's role in similar efforts for all of its members and partners through this new leadership opportunity."

Hamerlinck has been a member of the UW faculty since 1998 and has directed the Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center since 2004, leading development of new undergraduate and graduate curricula in geospatial information science and technology -- and helping build geospatial capacity within the university and across the state. He previously represented Wyoming on the National States Geographic Information Council and as a member of the Wyoming Governor's GIS Advisory Board.

In 2023, Hamerlinck was appointed associate director of UW's School of Computing, where he oversees efforts in applied data science and visualization and is leading new research initiatives in community-scale digital twins and smart rural places.

Hamerlinck received a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Colorado-Boulder; his master's degree in community planning from UW; and his B.S. in geography from the University of North Dakota.