Jan Nijman is the Director of Urban Studies and Master of Pearson College at the University of Miami, where he is also a professor of Geography & Regional Studies. His specialities include geopolitics, economic and cultural globalization, and the history of world cities. An elected member of the National Geographic’s Committee for Research & Exploration, Jan has traveled across the globe, supporting research projects at many of the sites we visit on our journey. He is the author of four books and more than a hundred publications and has worked extensively in India, the Caribbean, Europe, and West Africa. A native of the Netherlands, he speaks five languages. Jan has received numerous awards including the Nystrom Prize, a series of National Science Foundation grants, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.