Hi, I'm Lily (they/them)!

I'm a cartographer, UI/UX designer, and queer theory enthusiast.

I'm currently a fourth year graduate student at Penn State University in the Department of Geography. I am in a 5-year MS+PhD program, and completed my Master's degree in 2024. Currently, I am a second year PhD candidate (ABD). My undergraduate degrees in Cartography/GIS, Human Geography, and Anthropology are from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which I completed in 2022.

My research is currently funded by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP), Grant No. DGE1255832, which I was awarded in 2024.

My primary research focuses on mobile and responsive thematic map design. My Master's research focused on this subject specifically in the context of data journalism, but my PhD research will expand to other realms of thematic map design. I am also the senior graduate student in the Penn State GeoGraphics Lab, where I have collaborated on projects related to gender-based violence, non-binary epistemologies, and user-centered design.

Outside of work I love to bike, run, hike, read sci-fi and fantasy books, garden, cook, and travel.

I'm always ready to learn something new! You can contact me at lhoutman@psu.edu or through any of the links at the bottom of this page.