Dr. Jill Thornton received her Ph.D. in Geography from the University of South Carolina (2026), her M.Sc. in Human Geography from Radboud University in the Netherlands (2018), and her B.A. in Geography from Sonoma State University (2006). She teaches courses in physical and human geography, including Physical Geography & Meteorology, US and Canada, and World Geography. As a political geographer, Dr. Thornton studies the relationships between people, power, and place. Specifically, her work focuses on migration and refugees, feminist and critical geopolitics, humanitarianism, and religion. Previously, her research has investigated Christian missionary interactions with asylum seekers and refugees in Europe, and has explored the influence of religious beliefs and activities in everyday citizenship formation and communities of belonging among migrant groups settling in foreign societies. Prior to academia, Dr. Thornton worked for a non-profit organization for 16 years as a cartographer, international mapping project manager, and geography educator.