Q&A with Professor Dariusz Wójcik
Read our interview with 2025 Murchison Award recipient, Professor Dariusz (Darek) Wójcik.
Professor Dariusz Wójcik is the 2025 Murchison Award recipient for substantial and highly influential published work in recent years.
What did you want to be, or where did you want to work, when you were a teenager?
"As a child in Poland in the 1970s, I loved maps before I learned the word geography. As I was learning about geography in the 1980s, I wanted to understand the map of the world economy.
"This desire grew as the iron curtain fell, and the Polish economy, and its map were changing rapidly in front of my eyes. As I started travelling and experienced globalisation in the 1990s, my fascination with economic geography was reinforced."
What role do you do now and how would you describe your work?
"I am a Professor of Financial Geography at the National University of Singapore. Being a financial geographer means studying the geographical factors influencing the financial system and the implications of finance for economy, society, politics, and the environment. I develop this field of studies by research and teaching on financial geography and sustainable finance and supporting the Global Network on Financial Geography.
"I am also Editor-in-Chief of the Finance & Space journal. The combination of these roles is most rewarding."
What has been the highlight of your career, regardless of how big or small, so far?
"The highlight of my career has been the creation of Atlas of Finance: Mapping the Global Story of Money – the first ever collection of maps and visuals dedicated to the topic of finance. As it had never been attempted before, it took many years to develop the concept, raise funds for the project, assemble a team, and deliver. It took over 12,000 hours of work in total.
"I loved combining and learning diverse skillsets on the project, from data science, through cartography and visual art, to creative writing."
What projects are you working on right now?
"I am writing a book on how financial geography has shaped the evolution of people and human environment over thousands of years – a summary of my teaching and research experience on these topics.
"I am also starting a project on how the co-intelligence of humans and machines is likely to change the map of the world economy in the coming decades. Working in Asia, particularly Singapore, where this change is embraced rather than resisted, gives me a great vantage point."
Do you have any advice for someone wanting to go into your field?
"Financial geography is a flourishing field, with the thriving Global Network on Financial Geography, and a new journal Finance & Space.
"Treating finance as a system of relations, mediated with money, among humans and between humans and the environment, it is wide open to social and natural scientists, as well as humanities. It is open to you whether you like to study words, numbers, maps or pictures.
"If you are curious or interested, just take a minute to sign up on FinGeo."
Sign up to our newsletters
We regularly host exhibitions as well as in-person and online events, including our Monday night lectures (members only) and regional events.
Would you like to stay up to date about our upcoming events and news? Log in, or create an account, and sign up for our newsletter.