During a 40-year academic career, John R. Weeks, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Geography, has achieved a notable record in teaching, research and service. He literally wrote the book on demography, authoring the leading college-level text on the subject. A respected professor and graduate mentor, Weeks is also a prolific author, with more than 135 articles and book chapters, and nearly 40 research reports to his credit. The importance of his scholarship is reflected in the stature of agencies funding his research. They include the U.S. Office of Maternal and Child Health, the U.S. Administration on Aging, the Andrew Mellon Foundation and the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. Weeks also serves as director of SDSU's International Population Center, which studies issues ranging from a census of Muslims in the U.S. to reproductive health among immigrants. His current research focuses on spatial inequalities in health in sub-Saharan Africa.

He has three times been the recipient of the "Most Influential Professor" award at SDSU and twice the recipient of the Meritorious Professional Performance and Promise Award (1985, 1990). In 2011 he was the recipient of the Albert W. Johnson Research Award and Distinguished Professorship. He is a regular consultant as a demographic and statistical expert in trials throughout southern California and appears frequently in the media as an expert on demographics and immigration. In addition to many professional memberships, including the Population Association of American, International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) and the Association of American Geographers (AAG), he has served on committees for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Research Council. He was appointed a CCST Fellow in 2008.