Our research themes

Through our three broad research themes, we aim to address major environmental and social challenges.

In today's world, understanding the Earth and its unique environment is linked with questions of human agency.

Our intellectual diversity and interaction between the disciplines of the physical sciences, social sciences and humanities are our strengths for addressing the major environmental and social challenges of our times.

Our research challenges are:

Understanding the environmental, social, cultural and political dimensions of human geography - including questions of inequality, justice and health

Understanding, modelling and forecasting our global Earth and climate system.

Reducing disaster risk through an integrated understanding of physical processes and the drivers of human vulnerabilities.

Developing low-carbon solutions for energy and climate change mitigation.

Promoting the sustainable use of resources, including agriculture, forests, landscapes and infrastructure.

Harnessing the potential of Earth observation in an era of 'big data' using drone and satellite observations

Improving our understanding and consequently the management of marine ecosystems

Research themes

Through our three interdisciplinary research themes, we cover a wide range of research subjects and approaches.

Dynamic Earth systems

Two female scientists sitting in a small boat wearing cold water wetsuits with the ocean and an iceberg just behind them

We aim to understand fundamental Earth and planetary processes and their role in complex Earth systems.

Environment and society

At night, an erupting volcano with smoke and lava in the foreground, with the lights of a major city of Guatemala behind

We explore the interactions between natural anthropogenic processes, environments, resources, people and places.

Accountable geographies

Two men and a woman standing in a park and talking

We embrace socially responsible research that addresses critical questions about human agency, social justice, cultural meaning and environmental values.

This article was published on 21 Apr, 2021