About Me

Hi! I’m Dr. Julia Cardwell and I am a Teaching Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a teaching-centered faculty member, I’m particularly passionate about undergraduate teaching and learning. I enjoy experimenting with teaching methods and approach the classroom as a space where students and instructors co-create knowledge through mutual responsibility and reflexive engagement. I teach a variety of courses in Spatial Data Science, including courses on Geographic Information Systems, spatial modeling, big (spatial) data, and the history of cartography.

I earned a Ph.D (Dec 2024). and M.A. (Dec 2021) in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Davidson College (May 2019). My research utilizes graph theory to evaluate structural road network redundancy and transportation equity, specifically focusing on rural areas in North Carolina. In addition, I am broadly interested in non-motorist transport and applying graph theory approaches to identify high-stress conflict points for pedestrians and cyclists.

Outside of the classroom, you can find me refereeing arguments between my pets (two cats and a dog), reading modern horror novels, or birding.