Ignacio Urria Yáñez

Ignacio Urria Yáñez

PhD Candidate

I am a researcher from Chile and currently a Ph.D. candidate in Urban Studies at the Department of Urbanism at TU Delft. My work explores the spatio-temporal evolution of sociospatial inequalities using administrative microdata from the Netherlands. In particular, my research focuses on integrating multivariate, multiscalar and longitudinal methods to better undertand the causes, patterns and consequences of urban inequalities. I am also interested in the role of time and space in the analysis of social stratification and how these concepts can be operationalized in urban analytics.

I began my academic career as a research assistant on projects related to housing markets, segregation, and labour dynamics. I then worked at the Chilean Ministry of Social Development, where I coordinated a team focused on developing geospatial indicators to inform social policy and benefit allocation. That experience reinforced my interest in spatial inequalities and led me back into academia. I hold a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Chile and an M.Sc. in Human Geography from Utrecht University.

Work Experience
  • PhD Researcher, 2023 - Present

    Department of Urbanism, Delft University of Technology

  • Intern, 2025

    Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

  • Coordinator of the Territorial Analysis Unit, 2022

    Department of Studies, Ministry of Social Development and Family, Chile

  • Data Analyst, 2020-2022

    Department of Studies, Ministry of Social Development and Family, Chile

  • Research Assistant, 2017-2020

    Department of Economics, Universidad de Chile and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Education
  • PhD (c) in Urban Studies, Present

    Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology

  • MSc in Human Geography, 2022

    Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University

  • MSc in Applied Economics, 2019

    Faculty of Economics and Business, Universidad de Chile

  • BSc in Economics, 2017

    Faculty of Economics and Business, Universidad de Chile

Interests
  • Segregation
  • Neighbourhood Effects
  • Urban Analytics
  • Spatial Scale
  • Neighbourhood Dynamics
  • Geographic Data Science