Welcome
to my homepage

Expertise:  Regional Science• Spatial Econometrics • Computational Science • Macroeconomics

I am Emeritus Professor of Economic Geography at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) and Adjunct Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. My research is fundamentally transdisciplinary, bridging the fields of economic geography and regional science through advanced spatial statistics, econometrics, and computational methods.

Academic Leadership & Editorial Impact

• Journal of Geographical Systems
  As Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief since 1993, I have shaped the direction of this premier outlet for research at the intersection of statistical modeling and spatial analysis. My ongoing dedication to maintaining rigorous peer-review standards was recently recognized with two Springer Nature Editor of Distinction Awards (2026), highlighting the journal's role in advancing global scientific discovery.

• Advances in Spatial Science
  Since 1995, I have served as Co-founder and Co-editor of this flagship book series, driving the publication of cutting-edge research and foundational texts in the field.

• International Geographical Union (IGU)
  As Chair of the IGU Commission on Mathematical Models (1988–1996), I led international initiatives that successfully established and fostered collaborative research networks across four continents.

• Global Academic Appointments
  My international academic career spans key appointments at leading global institutions. I have served as an Assistant to an Associate Professor at the University of Vienna, a Visiting Associate Professor at the Oskar Lange Academy of Economics, a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and an Adjunct Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

Distinguished Awards & Honours

My contributions to regional science have been recognized as the field's highest international accolades:

• Founder’s Medal (RSAI, 2016): Awarded for significant lifelong contributions to Regional Science.

• Jean Paelinck Award (RSAI, 2015): For outstanding scholarly achievements in Regional Science Methods.

• EIB-European Prize in Regional Science (2012): For excellence in Spatial Economics.

• Academy Memberships: Foreign Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Associate Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and Fellow of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences.

Publication Highlights

With a prolific output of over 20 monographs, 22 edited books, and 260+ refereed articles, my work is frequently featured in top-tier journals including the Journal of Applied Econometrics, Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Research Policy, and the Journal of Regional Science.

Key Publications:

• Handbook of Regional Science (with P. Nijkamp, Springer, 2nd Ed. 2021).

• Spatial Data Analysis: Models, Methods and Techniques (with J. Wang, Springer, 2011).

• Handbook of Applied Spatial Analysis (with A. Getis, Springer, 2010).

Connect With My Research

• Email: manfred.fischer@wu.ac.at

• ORCID: 0000-0002-0033-2510

• Profiles:  Pure | Google Scholar | ResearchGate | RePEc

• CV