Research Interests

Brandon Takayuki Hillier is an economic geographer and urban researcher. His current work examines the complementarity between the Canadian educational system and American industry, with a special interest in empirically investigating the flow of engineering graduates from the Kitchener-Waterloo region to the Bay Area and New York. Key theoretical interests include conceptualizing cross-border labour markets and inter-regional labour regimes, educational and occupational decision-making, elite formation, and work culture. He currently teaches courses on introductory urban and environmental studies, urban methods, digital and urban futures, global cities, and professional development (for co-op). He previously studied Japan’s industrial development, central banks, and smart cities. His work is supported by SSHRC and DAAD.