Dr. Xiaofan Liang’s primary research focuses on spatial social networks and network infrastructure in cities, as well as the impact and application of new technologies and data on urban planning and governance. Dr. Liang is now inviting prospective PhD students to apply for the Fall 2025 intake at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with a high likelihood of close collaboration with her.
Dr. Liang’s research areas include but are not limited to:
Ideal candidates should have interests in two or more research areas above and the willingness to work closely with Dr. Liang. Desired qualities include strong programming skills and geospatial analysis capabilities, and a long-term interest, through past projects and experiences, in the ethical and responsible use of data and technology in the planning process, community engagement, urban governance, and public decision-making. Students with interdisciplinary and diverse backgrounds are especially encouraged to apply.
The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is one of the top 3 leading public universities in the U.S. It ranks 21st nationally according to US News and is consistently placed within the top 20 globally by Times Higher Education. The Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning is one of the university’s most distinguished schools, with many renowned professors in various planning fields. The department has a strong alumni network in Detroit, Michigan, and across the globe. Other competitive schools within the university include the Computer Science department, the School for Environment and Sustainability, the Ross School of Business, and the Medical School.
The Urban and Regional Planning Department offers three major degree programs: PhD in Urban Planning, Master’s in Urban Planning, and a Bachelor’s in Urban Technology. This year, the department is recruiting two to three leading professors in the field of Urban Technology and Design (anticipated to join in Fall 2025) to strengthen its focus on urban analytics and technology.
PhD students in the department are fully funded for at least four years, with the expectation of serving as teaching assistants for four semesters. The department offers generous benefits, including PhD stipends higher than the average for similar departments, summer funding, child care subsidies, and free health insurance.
PhD applications should be submitted through the university’s website. Applications are first reviewed by an admissions committee composed of faculty members, and then promising candidates are forwarded to potential PhD advisors for further discussion and final decisions.
Ann Arbor consistently ranks among the top 10 most livable cities in the U.S. The city has a highly educated and diverse population, abundant small parks, extensive bike lanes, making it very safe and well-equipped with various amenities. Ann Arbor’s cultural scene is also vibrant, with music and arts festivals attracting visitors every summer. Despite being a small city, Ann Arbor enjoys the convenience of proximity to a major urban hub. It is only an hour’s bus ride from downtown Detroit and a 30-minute drive from Detroit Metro Airport, a key hub for Delta Airlines. Ann Arbor also has regular train services to Chicago.
Dr. Xiaofan Liang is an Assistant Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning and is affiliated with the University of Michigan's Center for the Study of Complex Systems. She earned her Master’s and PhD in Urban and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology (2023), a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Minerva University (2019), and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley (2015).
Dr. Liang has conducted research at Georgia Tech’s Friendly Cities Lab, the National University of Singapore’s Urban Analytics Lab, and the Santa Fe Institute. Her research interests and methods are rooted in complex systems, network science, and the critical and critical and participatory traditions of GIS and planning. She aims to use these approaches to foster authentic synergies between technology and society and promote social diversity in urban spaces. Her work has been published in top peer-reviewed journals and conferences, including the Journal of Planning Education and Research, Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, Transactions in GIS, and the Proceedings of the 28th ACM SIGKIDD Conference.
Interested students are encouraged to send their CVs to [email protected]. Dr. Liang is open to meeting suitable candidates for further discussions. For more details, please visit Dr. Liang’s website: www.xiaofanliang.com.