Victor Roger Schinazi
Royal London Society for the Blind – Kent,  
e-mail: v.schinazi@ucl.ac.uk
Web: http://www.theseanspace.blogspot.com

• September 2003 – present
  London, England

University College London – MPhil/PhD
Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA)

• September 2002 – June 2003
  London, England

University College London – MPhil
The Bartlett: Town Planning

·     October 2000 – June 2001

Granada, Spain

University of Granada – Spanish Language Diploma & Sociology Exchange

Faculty of Language & Faculty of Political Science & Sociology

·     September 1998 – June 2002

Montreal, Canada

Concordia University – Bachelor of Arts

Honours Urban Studies & Minor Sociology (GPA 4.0)

·     September 1996 – June 1998

Montreal, Canada

Dawson College – DEC (Diploma of College Studies)

Liberal Arts

·     September 2003 – present

Kent, England

PhD.  Research - Royal London Society for the Blind (RLSB)

Research on the perception and cognition of space by individuals who are blind or have low vision. Investigating the content, accuracy of mental representations as well as the strategies and coding heuristics used in navigation.

·     Summer 2002

Shanghai, China

Researcher – Concordia University (Department of Geography & Planning)

Assisted Professor John Zacharias with research on visitor behaviour inside Shanghai’s Yuyuyan Market. Coordinated the work of undergraduate students and analyzed the data presented at a conference on spatial behaviour at Tongji University.

·     Fall/winter 2001 – 2002

Montreal, Canada

Researcher – Concordia University (Department of Geography & Planning)

Research on shopper’s spatial behaviour. Part II of long-term project on the impact of an entertainment retrofit on shopping centre performance. Collected, analysed and published results in the Journal of Shopping Centre Research.

·     September 2001 – June 2002

Montreal, Canada

Researcher – Concordia University (Department of Sociology)

Ethnographic study on the impact of socio-economic status on the culture and urban environment of two neighbouring districts in Montreal. Results were published as a book chapter and used as teaching material for an introductory course in sociology.

·     Summer 2000

Montreal, Canada

Research Assistant – Concordia University (Geography & Planning)

Assisted Professor Zacharias on a project aimed at identifying a surrogate measure for retail activity. Collected and helped analyze data on the spatial behaviour of shoppers inside Montreal’s underground city.

·     Spring/Summer 2000

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Research Assistant (fieldwork) – Concordia University

Research in association with the city of Rotterdam on the functionality of the pedestrian system in downtown Rotterdam. Collected and helped analyze data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

·     Summer 1999

Montreal, Canada

Research Assistant (fieldwork) – Concordia University

Assisted Professor Zacharias in his research on shopping behaviour in Montreal. Used a variety of methods to collect data on the spatial behaviour inside a large shopping centre.

·     September 2004 – present

Kent, England

Life-skills tutor – Royal London Society for the Blind (RLSB)

Working to promote independence for both young and adult individuals with a variety of visual impairments and blindness. Teaching incorporates basic life skills, organizational skills, psychosocial adjustment and future job training.

·     December 2003 – present

London, England

Editorial Assistant – Environment & Planning B (academic journal)

Part of the editorial team of one of the fastest growing academic journal in the field of urban planning and design. Act as the main contact between publishers and authors.

·     Summer 2002

Montreal, Canada

Administrative Assistant – Domestic Converters, Inc

Worked at this international trading company at tracking overseas orders, liaison between suppliers and customers. Facilitated paper flow during leave of absence from a permanent employee.

·     Summer, 1999

Montreal, Canada

Assistant ISO consultant – Multinet Communications

Helped prepare reports detailing the work procedures for different occupations and departments. Translated reports & organized stockroom.

·     Schinazi, V. (2006). Beyond statistical testing: Individual differences and the content and accuracy of mental representations of space. In press to be published in the Springer Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence (LNAI).

·     Schinazi, V. (2005). Spatial representation & low vision: Two studies on the content accuracy and utility of mental representations. In International Congress Series: Elsevier, 2005.

·     Zacharias, J., & Schinazi, V. (2003). The impact of an entertainment retrofit on the performance of a shopping centre. Journal of Shopping Centre Research, 7, 2, 67-79.

·     Schinazi, V. (2001). Two Sides of the Fence: A Comparative Analysis of Parc-Extension and Town of Mont-Royal. In Gauthier, L., Saxton, T., & Cohen, C (Eds.), Stories from Montreal: Ethnographic accounts of Life in North America’s francophone metropolis (pp.43-60). Montreal, Canada: Trickster Publications.

·     Spatial Cognition (2006) – Bremen Germany (presenting in September)

·     Summer seminar University of Montreal (2006) – Montreal, Canada

·     Vision (2005) – London, England

·     IX Conference on Methods for the Social & Health Sciences (2005) – Granada, Spain

·     Computers in Urban Planning (2005) – London, England

·     IV International Space Syntax Symposium (2003) – London, England

·     Jan 2003 - present

Member of the UCL & ADKC volunteering services

·     January – June 2001

Volunteered as a group leader to troubled teenagers in Spain

·     1998 – 2002

Member of the Concordia Urban Studies & Geography Students Association

·     1996 – 1999

Volunteered for the Red Cross Blood Drives

·     1992 – present

Played in several soccer teams in Brazil, Canada, Spain and England

·     Languages (spoken & written)

English, French, Portuguese, Spanish & Hebrew

·     Computer Skills

SPSS, ArcGIS, Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, SketchUp, Design Workshop, Freehand, Dreamweaver, Microsoft Office

·     Ross C. Purse Doctoral Fellowship – Awarded by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (PhD. research)

·     Overseas Research Studentship (ORS) – Awarded by Universities UK

·     UCL volunteering award: Awarded in 2004 & 2005