On March 13, 2025, the University of Pécs held a ceremonial senate meeting to award Robert James Hickey the title of Doctor et Professor Honoris Causa.
Robert James Hickey is a professor at Central Washington University (Ellensburg, Washington, USA) and an internationally recognised expert and researcher in geoinformatics.
He received his BSc degree in 1987 from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania, USA). In 1990, he obtained his MSc degree (geology) from Washington State University (Pullman, Washington State), followed by his PhD degree in 1994 in geology and geoinformatics from the University of Idaho (Moscow, Idaho State, United States). He has conducted research in Australia on several occasions (University of Western Australia, Perth, 1997, 1998, 2001, and 2016) and at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Pécs (2005, 2007, 2011, 2021, and 2024). He is currently the director of the Institute of Environmental Science at Central Washington University.
During his three decades of research, he has become a leading researcher in the field of geoinformatics by international standards. He has published 56 refereed papers, which have received 1,062 independent citations, and has presented at 37 scientific conferences. Under his leadership, 48 BSc theses, 26 MSc theses, and 12 PhD dissertations have been completed.
Dr. Robert Hickey made lasting achievements in establishing geoinformatics training at the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Pécs (PTE TTK FFI). With his international expertise and knowledge of geoinformatics software, he laid the foundations for the launch of geoinformatics education. With his help, the institute acquired geoinformatics software (ESRI ArcMAP/ArcGIS, USA) that enabled us to carry out competitive educational and research activities. He visited Hungary five times, where he shared his decades of experience with the staff of PTE TTK FFI, presenting the connections between geoinformatics, physical geography, soil science, and biogeography (ornithology). During his lectures, he also gave PTE students an insight into his complex scientific research. In December 2011, he participated as a committee member in the habilitation procedure of the Doctoral School of Earth Sciences. In the fall of the 2013/14 academic year, he was the supervisor of one of the scholarship students visiting CWU from the Doctoral School of Earth Sciences at PTE.
As a senior researcher, Robert Hickey has led several highly funded international projects and is actively and successfully involved in the educational work of the Institute of Environmental Sciences. His awards include the 2013 Most Inspirational Faculty Award, the 2020 Scholar of the Year Award, and the 2024 Fulbright Scholar Grant. The latter was awarded to the PTE TTK FFI, where he worked on developing the institute's geoinformatics training program. He analysed the possibilities for increasing student enrolment and developed proposals for increasing student numbers in our geoinformatics courses.
Dr. Hickey's professional interests focused primarily on the relationship between physical geography, ornithology, and geoinformatics. In these areas of research, his professional interests coincided with those of the physical geography research group at the PTE TTK Institute of Geography, which resulted in a joint scientific publication.
Dr. Hickey was also very active in public life, participating in several research projects as a volunteer and serving as president of the Central Washington University union.
