Knight Foundation Distinguished Professor Thill earns national mentoring award
Jean-Claude Thill, Knight Foundation Distinguished Professor in the UNC Charlotte College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences, has received the 2026 Carolyn Merry Mentoring Award from the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, a national organization dedicated to advancing geographic information science through research, education and policy.
The Carolyn Merry Mentoring Award is the only UCGIS honor focused exclusively on mentorship. It recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional dedication to supporting students and early-career professionals through career guidance, scholarly development and professional advancement.
Thill, a faculty member in the CHESS Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, was selected for his longstanding commitment to mentoring graduate students and emerging scholars across multiple disciplines. Throughout his career, he has graduated more than 20 doctoral students who have gone on to successful careers in academia, industry and research. He continues to advise students in doctoral programs in Geography, Infrastructure and Environmental Systems, Public Policy and Epidemiology.
The award also recognizes mentors who generously invest their time in reviewing scholarship and teaching, promote the work of their mentees, create opportunities for collaboration through grants and publications, and foster inclusivity by supporting women and individuals from underrepresented groups in GIScience.
“Mentorship is one of the most meaningful aspects of an academic career because it creates opportunities for others to grow and succeed,” Thill said. “I am honored to receive this recognition from UCGIS and grateful for the many students and colleagues whose accomplishments have made this work so rewarding.”
An internationally recognized scholar, Thill’s research focuses on transportation and mobility systems, urban analytics, and geospatial data science. His work has contributed to advances in understanding how people, goods and information move through complex spatial networks and how data-driven approaches can inform planning and decision-making.
In addition to his research and teaching achievements, Thill is a Fellow of both the Regional Science Association International and the American Association of Geographers.
The recognition highlights the importance of mentorship in shaping the future of geographic information science and underscores Thill’s lasting impact on generations of students and scholars.
Written by Jenn Conway