Georg Gartner is a Full Professor for Cartography at the Vienna University of Technology and Head of the Research Group Cartography. He is currently President of the International Cartographic Association (ICA). 

Dr. Merve Keskin is a senior postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the University of Salzburg’s Department of Geoinformatics (Z_GIS) and a Vice Chair of the ICA Commission on User Experience. Her work combines cartography and geovisualization with spatial cognition, human sensing, and UI/UX/HCI design to understand and predict how people perceive and interact with maps and space. By fusing individual-level behavioral data collected through eye tracking, EEG, and EDA with environmental covariates (e.g., SVI, weather, earth observation data, etc.) through GeoAI, she currently works on developing context-aware maps that adapt to users and their surroundings.

Dennis Edler is a German geographer and cartographer. After earning
his PhD (2015) and habilitation (2020), he was appointed as Professor at
Ruhr-University Bochum (RUB) this year. He has progressed through
various academic roles at the university and currently serves of Dean of
Studies at RUB’s Faculty of Geography and Geosciences. His research
focus lies on cognitive aspects in cartography and modern methods of
geographic visualization. Since 2021, Dennis has been Editor-in-Chief of
“KN – Journal of Cartography and Geographic Information”

Jiri Panek is a human geographer and participatory mapping scholar whose work bridges urban planning and the emotional geographies. His recent research explores how people’s subjective experiences of urban mobility — including cycling, e-biking, and intermodal travel — are tied to feelings, perceptions, and places, and how these emotional responses can be systematically captured and visualised through participatory and qualitative mapping methods. Building on the participatory potential of emotional mapping, which integrates volunteered geographic information and qualitative GIS to chart people’s emotional reactions to urban environments and mobility infrastructures, his work contributes to debates on the affective dimension of mobility and spatial justice in contemporary cities. Through surveys, sketch-based emotional maps, and spatial analysis, his work generates insights that inform sustainable transport planning and citizen engagement. He is the co-author of the EmotionalMaps.eu platform. 

Zdeněk Stachoň is an Associate Professor at the Department of Geography, Masaryk University (Czech Republic) and Head of the Laboratory on Virtual Geographic Environments (VGE). He currently serves as the President of the Czech Cartographic Society and as Vice Chair of the International Cartographic Association Commission on User Experience.

His research focuses on user interface and user experience (UI/UX) design in cartography and geovisualization, with particular emphasis on multivariate mapping, virtual geographic environments, and user-centred design of interactive maps and geospatial applications. His work also addresses cartographic usability evaluation, and the design of immersive and virtual environments for geographic data exploration and education.

He is actively involved in international research collaborations and contributes to the development of user-oriented cartography, and innovative methods for communicating spatial information in digital and immersive environments.

Ian Muehlenhaus is a Senior Product Engineer at Esri and Chair of the ICA Commission on Map Design. A former academic, his expertise spans map design, persuasive geocommunication, and AI in GIS. Known for his innovative approach to geospatial visualisation, Ian bridges science, creativity, and trust in cartography.

Dr. Ondrej Mitas (born Bratislava 1982) researches tourists’ emotions and quality of life. His ultimate goal is to guide the tourism industry, governments, and tourists themselves to make choices that will optimize their vacation choices. To that end, his research explores the psychology of tourist and leisure experiences with a focus on emotions and well-being and quality of life outcomes. Specifically, he examines positive emotions in leisure and tourism experiences over time and the mechanisms of enjoyment, positivity, and flow in tourism and leisure experiences, and innovative research methods using spatial, longitudinal, biophysical, and mixed-method approaches.

Prof. Dr. Dennis Edler is a cartographer and geographer at the Institute of Geography, Ruhr University Bochum (RUB). His research explores how people perceive, feel, and decide when interacting with maps and immersive visualizations—linking cartographic design with emotion, aesthetics, and cognition. A major focus is user-centered evaluation of visualizations (e.g., eye-tracking and experimental methods) across 2D/3D maps, VR/AR, and interactive media. He also works on multisensory and affective visualization (e.g., soundscapes, atmosphere, meaningful pictograms) and how these influence attention, memory, and spatial behavior.

Dr Amy Griffin is a senior lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Geospatial Sciences at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. She is currently a Vice President of the International Cartographic Association. Her research interests include understanding perceptual, cognitive and affective responses that are engaged when people use maps and other forms of visualized spatial information. 

Dr. Jakub Koníček is an assistant professor specializing in digital cartography, data visualization, and infographics. He is a co-author of eight thematic atlases and has contributed to numerous spatial and non-spatial data visualizations and infographics. His current work involves collaborations on projects focused on mapping Czech dialects, visualizing sensor data, and exploring effective communication strategies between policymakers and scientists. His research primarily focuses on developing clear and effective methods for the visual presentation of data.

Petra Hypšová is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology at Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic, specializing in work, organizational, and experimental psychology. Her research focuses on deception detection and the accuracy of facial emotion recognition in interpersonal contexts. Dr. Hypšová integrates non-invasive technologies, including infrared thermal imaging, eye-tracking, and remote photoplethysmography, to analyze physiological and behavioral indicators of veracity and emotion recognition.

I hold a PhD in Regional Geography from Palacký University Olomouc, where I completed all my degrees. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Computer Science, focusing on urban climate, biometeorology, and outdoor thermal comfort. Our work develops a people-oriented paradigm of urban thermal environment research, combining methods of thermal walks and participatory mapping with traditional urban climate approaches, mainly high-resolution modelling, to capture how people perceive and experience thermal conditions in urban areas. Looking ahead, I aim to deepen the human component of thermal comfort research, exploring how individual  factors like perception, emotions, physiology or lived experience can inform climate-resilient city planning and enhance liveability and wellbeing in cities worldwide.