Ákos Balog

Spatial Data Scientist
PhD Student at University of Liverpool

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About

Who Am I?

Data scientist and PhD researcher specialising in agent-based modelling, retail, and transport. Focusing on simulating urban systems to generate insights that support economic resilience and sustainable growth.

Currently, I am working as a Research Assistant on the Night Ped Sim City project at the University of Liverpool and on the BENEFITS Horizon Europe Project at UCL. Passionate about applying advanced modelling to help cities and retail become smarter, more sustainable, and more resilient.

Education

  1. 2022 - Present
    University of Liverpool logo

    Integrated Masters-PhD in Data Analytics and Society

    University of Liverpool

  2. 2019 - 2022
    University of Liverpool logo

    BA (Hons) Geography and Planning (1st Class)

    University of Liverpool

Projects

Current and Previous Work

Previous Projects

  • Research Assistant: Korea-UK Digital Twin Approach logo
    Research Assistant: Korea-UK Digital Twin ApproachQualitative and computational analysis for transport digital twins and data governance.
  • Visiting Researcher: Pusan National University logo
    Visiting Researcher: Pusan National UniversityContributed to a systematic literature review and implemented NLP models for transport challenges.
  • Visiting Researcher: Barcelona Supercomputing Centre logo
    Visiting Researcher: Barcelona Supercomputing CentreIntegrated LLMs with agent-based models to generate travel diaries on the MareNostrum supercomputer.
Research

Research Interests

Themes

Retailing, Retail Spaces and Consumer Behaviour

Investigating the spatial dynamics of retail centres, footfall patterns, and how consumer behaviour shapes and is shaped by the built environment.

Transport Geography, Infrastructure Planning and 15-Minute Cities

Exploring accessibility, modal shift, and the role of transport networks in enabling or constraining urban life with a focus on proximity-based urban planning.

Spatial Inequality, Place-Based Policy and Digital Planning

Analysing how spatial inequalities manifest across urban and regional scales, and how data-driven approaches can support more effective place-based interventions.

Approach & Methods

Spatial AnalysisExamining geographic patterns and relationships
Spatial ModellingPredictive and explanatory spatial models
Machine LearningClassification, clustering, and regression
StatisticsInferential and descriptive statistical methods
GeodemographicsPopulation segmentation from spatial data
Network AnalysisTransport and street-level graph methods
Data VisualisationCommunicating spatial findings clearly
DashboardsInteractive tools for decision-making
Digital TwinsSimulation-based urban representations
Publications

Selected Work

Publications

  1. Leveraging advanced technologies for (smart) transportation planning: A systematic review

    H Son, J Jang, J Park, A Balog, P Ballantyne, HR Kwon, A Singleton, ...

    Sustainability 17 (5), 2245·2025

  2. Developing an open, national-level, small-area geodemographic classification of consumer behaviour

    Á Balog, L Dolega, R Mahabir, P Ballantyne, P Williamson

    International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 1-16·2026

Under Review

  1. Network Contagion and the Persistence of Inequality: An Empirically Grounded Agent-Based Model of Unemployment Recovery

    Balog, A., Melios, G., Aslam, N.S., Tzivanakis, N., Moore, H.

    Social Networks. (Awaiting review)

  2. A framework for transport digital twin design and implementation for urban decision-making: Lessons from twin cities in the United Kingdom and South Korea

    Kwon, H.R., Ballantyne, P., Balog, A., Jang, J., Son, H., Hwang, J., Singleton, A.

    Harvard Data Science Review. (Submitted for special issue)

Working Papers

  1. Using LLMs to Generate Synthetic Mobility Data

    Balog, A., Murphy, J., Reyes, P., Cucchietti, F.

    Target journal: Urban Transitions

  2. Nighttime PedSim City: Developing an ABM of Nighttime Walking for Policy Testing Scenarios

    Filomena, G., Balog, A., Garofani, G., Nausto, A.

    Target journal: Cities

  3. From Visitation to Performance: Empirical Validation of an Agent-Based Model of Retail Centre Competition

    Balog, A., Filomena, G., Dolega, L., Mahabir, R.

    Target journal: Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. Available at SSRN 6753765
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Contact

Get in Touch

For research, collaboration, or enquiries, please reach out via email or via LinkedIn.

sgabalog@liverpool.ac.ukLinkedIn