Jer Thorp — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

Designed the algorithm to place the nearly 3,000 names on the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan.
Adjunct Professor at New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP).
Co-Founder of FieldKit, an open-source toolset for environmental sensing.
Author of 'Living in Data' (2020) and 'We Were Out Counting Birds' (forthcoming 2024).
Served as the New York Times' first Data Artist in Residence in 2012.
Innovator in Residence at the Library of Congress in 2017 and 2018.
A National Geographic Explorer and Rockefeller Foundation Fellow.

Biography

Jer Thorp is a Canadian data artist, author, and educator, currently serving as an Adjunct Professor in New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP). He is widely recognized for his work in data visualization, including designing the algorithm that arranged the nearly 3,000 names on the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan. Thorp is also a leading voice advocating for the ethical use of big data.