Society’s grants programme supports 70 projects going into the field in 2024

This year, with the generous support of our donors, the Society has allocated £166,000 in funding to support 70 fieldwork projects in 34 countries across six continents.

Our grants support a range of projects, from primary and secondary school fieldtrips and field research by university students and early-career and established researchers, to inspiring geographical journeys and expeditions by independent travellers.

This year topics range from analysis of community energy projects in the UK to mapping the impacts of alluvial mining on mammal communities in the Peruvian Amazon.

One of this year’s recipients is Dr Thomas Chudley from Durham University, who was awarded a Small Research Grant for early-career researchers to support his fieldwork in Greenland this summer. Speaking about his research and its role in advancing our knowledge of hydrological processes in Greenland, Thomas said:

“The majority of meltwater delivered to the bed of the Greenland Ice Sheet is transported through crevasses. However, we still have very little understanding of the distribution, rate, and process of crevasse hydrology. By instrumenting crevasses with state-of-the-art wireless hydrological sensors, this project will give us an unprecedented insight into how water is transported in Greenland.”

Pasha Taylor, a second-year undergraduate geography student from the University of Cambridge and another of this year's recipients, received a Henrietta Hutton Research Grant to support her fieldwork in Costa Rica. Of her research project, she said:

“The Henrietta Hutton Research Grant will enable me to investigate how community identities are anchored around the environment, focusing on Cahuita National Park in Costa Rica. This is an interesting case as the park is co-managed by a government and community body. The Costa Rican identity is centred around ecological biodiversity and stewardship in sustainability, but who does this identity belong to? I am planning on carrying out mixed methods in the field to investigate how communities surrounding Cahuita National Park perceive and relate to the park.”

See the full list of projects supported so far this year.

The next round of grant deadlines is in November.

Find out more and apply