Biogeography Research Group
The Biogeography Research Group (BRG) encompasses a broad range of biogeographical content focusing upon the study of plant and animal distributions and their geographical relationships with the environment. This includes aspects of ecology, biodiversity, landscape ecology, palaeoecology, environmental resource management, and includes human-environment relations.
BRG seeks to foster the study and development of biogeography through:
- The organisation of periodic meetings
- The provision of avenues of contact among biogeographers and between biogeographers and those in related fields
- The promotion of publications emanating from meetings organised by the Group
- Other appropriate means, particularly with respect to sources of funding for biogeographical research
Read more about the work of the BRG:
BRG Committee
For all enquiries, membership or otherwise, please contact the BRG:
The Biogeography Research Group offers research grants from The Paddy Coker Research Fund.
Paddy Coker was an internationally renowned, highly respected and enthusiastic biogeographer who contributed to the work of the BRG over many years. This fund honours his memory by supporting biogeographical research and monitoring activities through a series of grants that are available to postgraduate and full-time biogeographers.
The deadline for application is normally 31 December each year with notification by 31 March of the following year. Please note that the application deadline for the 2013 awards has been extended to 31 March 2013, with decisions to be made shortly after.
Undergraduate dissertation prize
Each year the Biogeography Research Group sponsors an undergraduate dissertation prize award, which is a £100 cheque to the winning student. Eligible students are those following a three year undergraduate degree. Nominated dissertations are usually about 10,000 words long and will have been submitted for formal assessment in the academic year. Please note that a department may not submit more than one entry and nominated dissertations should not be submitted for consideration for any other RGS-IBG prizes. All dissertations should be submitted as a single pdf file of less than 25MB in size (please compress images before saving as a pdf), along with a copy of the appropriate departmental dissertation regulations and a post-September contact address for the student.
Dissertations should be emailed to the BRG Chair, Dr Harriet Allen. Further details are also available from her. The submission deadline is the end of September each year.
Winner of the undergraduate dissertation prize 2011
The Biogeography Research Group Undergraduate Dissertation Prize 2010/2011 prize was awarded to Katherine Elsom of the University of Cambridge for her dissertation 'Comparison of the Olive-backed Sunbird Across the Wakatobi Archipelago'. Katherine is now studying for an MPhil in Environmental Sciences at University of Cambridge; her particular interest is in remote sensing and biodiversity of tropical forests.