My name is Taylor Shelton and I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Georgia State University. Working at the intersection of critical human geography and geographic information science, I study how urban spaces and social inequalities are represented, reproduced and contested through maps and data. In particular, my work focuses on using mapping and data visualization to develop alternative understandings of urban inequalities, especially in relation to issues of housing speculation, property ownership and neighborhood segregation.
Prior to joining Georgia State in 2020, I held appointments at Mississippi State University, the University of Kentucky and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Before that, I earned BA and MA degrees in geography from the University of Kentucky and my PhD from the Graduate School of Geography at Clark University.
Ph.D., Geography, 2015
Clark University
M.A., Geography, 2011
University of Kentucky
B.A., Geography and Political Science, 2008
University of Kentucky
At Georgia State, I’ll be teaching the following courses during the 2020-2021 academic year:
In my previous position at Mississippi State University, I was responsible for teaching the following courses:
Prospective Students:
I am always interested in speaking with prospective graduate students for our program at GSU Geosciences. I am particularly interested in working with students who wish to work across the boundaries of critical human geography and GIS, using mapping as a way of thinking about and addressing urban social and environmental inequalities. While students entering our M.S. program are certainly not expected to be experts in one or both of these areas coming in, it is important that prospective students have some prior experience or familiarity with one or both of them. If you’re interested in working with me on these (or related) topics, please email me with your CV/resume, a brief statement describing your interests, and a sample of your written/cartographic work.
Current Students:
Carys Behnke
M.S. in Geosciences (Geography), Georgia State University, 2021-present
B.S./B.A. in Geography, University of Georgia, 2020
Research Interests: Environmental justice, affordable housing, urban climate, sustainable development
Campbell Casseb
M.S. in Geosciences (Geography), Georgia State University, 2021-present
B.S. in Forestry, University of Tennessee, 2017
Research Interests: Urban forestry, (critical) GIS, urban planning, urban sprawl, public access in shared urban spaces
Past Students:
Mustafa Monk
M.S. in Geoscience (Geography), Mississippi State University, 2020
B.A. in Geography, University of Texas-Austin, 2017
Thesis: Evaluating the unequal impacts of Hurricane Harvey: Critical GIS analysis in systems of governmental risk assessment and mitigation in Houston, Texas
Hannah Mizell
B.S. in Geoscience (GIS and Environmental Geoscience), Mississippi State University, 2020