We are happy to share that Prof. Dr. Till Nagel, head of the Human Data Interaction Lab (HDIL) at TH Mannheim, has been appointed to the Independent Advisory Board of the Diverse CDT - UK’s first Centre for Doctoral Training dedicated to Diversity in Data Visualization.
The Diverse CDT is jointly led by City St George’s, University of London, and the University of Warwick, and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Over the coming years, it will train up to 60 PhD students, bringing together academic, industrial, and civic partners to advance more inclusive, representative, and socially aware approaches to data visualization. As part of the Independent Advisory Board, Till contributes to the CDT’s strategic direction, training programme, and broader research perspective.
In this context, Till recently spent a dense (and very enjoyable) visit at City St George’s, kindly planned and hosted by the giCentre. The day was full of conversations: meeting giCentre researchers to discuss input visualizations and digital twins for urban gardens, sitting in on the Human-Centered Visualization course by Narges Mahyar, and discussing accessibility beyond formal guidelines, touching on tensions like generalizability vs. situated fit and simplification vs. expressiveness. Over lunch, there was also time to get to know the Diverse CDT cohort in a relaxed, informal setting.
The visit concluded with a seminar titled “Embedded Visualization of Urban Data: Concepts, Contexts and Perspectives”, exploring how augmented reality can be used to make urban processes visible and to support a more situated understanding of data, including insights from the Crafting Futures project on AR-based climate visualization in cities.
All in all, a packed, warm, and inspiring visit! Many thanks to everyone at City St George’s, giCentre, and the Diverse CDT for the openness, great discussions, and generous hospitality.
For more information, visit Diverse CDT’s website: diverse-cdt.ac.uk