Academic news and updates

Thinking about studying geography at university? With the growing importance of issues such as climate change, migration, environmental degradation, spatial epidemiology and inequalities, the world has never needed geographers more.

The heads of geography departments at UK universities have agreed a set of principles to guide undergraduate fieldwork in the future.

The Society’s open access journal Geo: Geography and Environment, has just launched a new open collection on urban ecologies.

Congratulations to the 16 geographers who were elected as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences last week.

Ahead of COP26, the Society is pleased to support the Oceans of Knowledge conference taking place later this month to discuss current scientific understanding of the ocean-related aspects of climate change.

The Society is collaborating with the Geography and Education Research Group (GeogEd) to create a new forum for meeting, sharing, collating, and supporting teaching and scholarship (TeaS) in higher education.

The final day of the conference was another action-packed day, with a further 214 sessions across 35 stages.

Day three of our Annual International Conference had another packed programme with 228 sessions happening across 38 stages, both online and in person.

Following on from the enlivening chair’s opening session, day two of the conference continued strongly with a further 229 sessions held across 29 stages.

To mark 40 years since its inception, the Society’s History and Philosophy of Geography Research Group (HPGRG) are holding an anniversary celebration event on Tuesday 7 September.

Today we welcomed delegates to the first day of this year’s Annual International Conference.

The 2021 global ranking of academic subjects, by ShanghaiRanking, has placed seven UK university departments in the top 10 higher education institutions globally for studying geography.

This week, one of the Society’s journals, Area, has published a new special section, Geographies of labour in a changing climate.

Every year we support over 60 fieldwork projects with our range of grants, many of which have application deadlines in the coming months.

With just one week to go until the 2021 Annual International Conference, we have put together some programme highlights from across the week which you won’t want to miss.

We are delighted to welcome eight interns, funded by the Antipode Foundation and the Society, to support this year’s Annual International Conference.

On 6 August, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) released their long-awaited new open access policy.

We are delighted to announce that the call for proposals for AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Awards to start in 2022 is now open.

With one month to go until our Annual International Conference, we caught up with this year’s Chair of conference, Professor Uma Kothari, to discuss this year’s theme, her advice for those attending and what she’s most looking forward to about this year’s event.

This month we are speaking to Bradley Rink to find out more about his project as part of the Wiley Digital Archive Research Fellowship.

The Society congratulates geography Professors Robert J. Mayhew, Katherine Gibson and Brenda S.A. Yeoh on their recent election as British Academy Fellows.

New data show that the number of students applying to study geography at university in 2021 has risen by 3% from the equivalent figure in 2020.

Earlier this month, the editors of the Society’s journals and book series, along with the publishers, Wiley, met to discuss the publications over the past year and to look forward to the future.

We caught up with Dr Linley Hastewell, Principal Water Specialist/Geomorphologist at Binnies, RSK Group, to hear how a Society grant helped during his PhD and beyond.

The newest addition to the RGS-IBG book series, The Unsettling Outdoors: Environmental Estrangement in Everyday Life, is now available to order online.

A new funding opportunity is available for a new collaborative public engagement partnership, as part of the creative climate connections opportunity.

We are delighted to be supporting a new project, led by Nottingham Trent University, which utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover the mysteries of important historical artworks including watercolour paintings, maps and botanical drawings.

Over the past few months, the Society’s five current PhD students have continued to carry out their research on the Collections, as well as a number of associated activities related to their projects.

We caught up with Dr Lydia Gibson, Junior Research Fellow at the UCL Institute of Advanced Studies, to hear how a Society grant helped her during her PhD and beyond.

The Society’s 32 Research Groups bring together active researchers and those with a professional interest in a particular aspect of geography and related disciplines. Here is a round up of activity over the past month.

The Society has awarded accreditation to four programmes in the latest cycle of the undergraduate and Master’s programme accreditation schemes.

The deadline for early bird registration for this year’s Annual International Conference is fast approaching, and with a packed programme of sessions planned you don’t want to miss out.

Congratulations to Professor Felix Driver, Dr Lowri Jones, Vandana Patel and their research team who have received the President’s Medal of the Society for the History of Natural History, for their work on the research project Hidden Histories of Exploration.

This month we caught up with Catherine Oliver and Karen Rann to discuss their research, why they applied for the Fellowship and what they’re hoping to find in the digital archives.

Geography Directions is delighted to have partnered with the ESRC LSSI-funded Pride in the Field (PIF): Promoting Inclusive Fieldwork for LGBTQ+ Researchers project to curate a blog series which aims to spotlight LGBTQ+ inclusive fieldwork practices and experiences.

The annual undergraduate dissertation prizes, awarded by many of our Research Groups to recognise outstanding student research, are now open for submissions.

The Society’s Use geography webinars are now available to watch online, along with useful sector-specific resources to help students take the next step after graduation.

The Geographical Journal, one of the Society’s four academic journals, has published a new editorial, The Future of The Geographical Journal: Engaging with Public Issues.

We caught up with Dr Emma Mawdsley, recipient of the Busk Medal, to discuss her career, greatest achievement, and most memorable fieldwork moments. 

Despite the significant challenges and obstacles to fieldwork during the past 12 months, a small number of researchers funded by our grants programme have been able to go into the field, with adaptations to allow their work to continue in a safe and responsible manner.

We caught up with Professor Phil Ashworth, recipient of the Cuthbert Peek Award for his pioneering research methods through modelling of river dynamics, to discuss his career, greatest achievement, and most memorable fieldwork moments.

This month we caught up with Rick Mitcham and Fred Morton to find out more about their projects as part of the Wiley Digital Archive Research Fellowship.

Dr Ingrid A. Medby has received this year’s Area prize for her paper, Political geography and language: A reappraisal for a diverse discipline, published in our academic journal Area.

The Society’s 32 Research Groups bring together active researchers and those with a professional interest in a particular aspect of geography and related disciplines. Here is a round up of activity over the past month. 

As part of our celebration of this year’s medals and awards recipients, we caught up with Professor Chris Philo, recipient of the Victoria Medal for his contribution to research in health, social and cultural geographies, to discuss his greatest achievement, advances in his field and his advice for those wanting to go into research in this area.

The newest addition to the RGS-IBG book series, Respatialising Finance: Power, Politics and Offshore Renminbi Market Making in London, is now available to order online.

This year our medals and awards recognise 23 different people or organisations for their outstanding contributions to geographical research, fieldwork and teaching, and public engagement.

As part of the CARICUK research project, an event discussing the original artwork Dreading the Map, which is currently installed in the Society’s Map Room, is taking place on Monday 24 May.

This month we caught up with Dr Emily Hayes and Sandra Hayward to find out more about their projects as part of the Wiley Digital Archive Research Fellowship.

Today marks one year since we launched a call for contributions on COVID-19 on the Society’s research blog, Geography Directions.

The Society’s Climate Change Research Group have announced the winners of their competition seeking the most effective, original and engaging ways to encourage action on climate change.

We are delighted to be partnering with a number of geographers, leading UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funded research projects, to further our understanding of the world, its people, places and environments.

The Society is delighted to be a partner of the Creative approaches to race and (in)security in the Caribbean and the UK (CARICUK) research project, which aims to transform discussions about race and anti-racism in UK higher education institutions.

This month we caught up with Dr Alicia Colson and Dr Sherezade Garcia Rangel to find out more about their projects as part of the Wiley Digital Archive Research Fellowship.

Monday 8 March was International Women’s Day, and throughout this week we have been celebrating the contributions of female geographers to the discipline by sharing the names of the women who have inspired you geographically.

The newest addition to the RGS-IBG book series, Bodies, Affects, Politics: The Clash of Bodily Regimes, is now available to order online.

We are delighted to be a partner of the Stay home stories research project which aims to understand how ideas and experiences of home have changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Monday 8 March is International Women’s Day, and we’d like your help to celebrate!

Throughout February, we have been sharing resources via our social media that highlight the geographies of LGBTQ+ groups, increase their visibility and better understand their history and experiences.

The Society has recently responded to several government and sector consultations, advocating for the ways in which geographical skills, knowledge and understanding underpins good decision-making and improves understanding of the world around us.

Katy Simms, from Durham University, was the recipient of the Space, Sexualities and Queer Research Group 2020 undergraduate dissertation prize with her dissertation which looks at the effects of mobile dating apps on love, intimacy and identity negotiations for bisexual individuals.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, students have been turning to virtual ways to develop their skills and gather work experience while staying at home.

Applications are now open for a PhD studentship on the Society’s Collections, as part of our Collaborative Doctoral Awards programme.

As part of our mission to undertake research on the Collections, in collaboration with Wiley, we have recently awarded 11 Research Fellowships for 2020-21 which provide researchers with access to the Wiley Digital Archive platform.

A new report exploring the career destinations of graduates highlights the increasingly vital need for geographers in the graduate job market.

Applications are now open for a PhD studentship on the Society’s Collections, as part of our Collaborative Doctoral Awards programme.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of a new editor to one of the Society’s academic journals.

Applying to universtity to study geography? Read our top tips on writing a good UCAS personal statement.

The Society has awarded accreditation to Master’s degree programmes for the first time.

Our Research Groups have done a great job of creatively adapting to a very challenging year. In celebration of their work, here are just a few highlights from 2020.

The Society has launched a new webinar series to help geography students explore future career options.

We are delighted to announce our plans for our 2021 Annual International Conference which will take place from Tuesday 31 August to Friday 3 September 2021.

The Society commissioned a significant piece of independent research using the Department for Education’s National Pupil Database and linked HESA data to know more about who is choosing to study geography at different levels.

Geo: Geography and Environment the Society’s open access, online-only journal has had a recent upgrade which now allows audio and video files to be hosted directly within its articles.

The Society has 32 Research and Working Groups, covering a wide range of subdisciplines from historical or urban geography to the geographies of transport or gender, and many more.

Following on from a successful virtual writing retreat earlier this year, the Society’s Geographies of Children, Youth and Families Research Group have established an ongoing virtual writing community.

This week Alasdair Macleod, Head of Resources and Enterprises, and Sarah Evans, Research and Collections Engagement Manager at the Society, are taking part in a webinar about the Society’s map collection.

Join our Author meets critics session with author of Home SOS, Professor Katherine Brickell of Royal Holloway, University of London.

The Society’s Climate Change Research Group has launched a competition seeking the most effective, original and engaging ways to encourage action on climate change.

Geographical knowledge and skills are vital to the UK private sector, according to a new report published by the Academy of Social Sciences.

We are delighted to be partnering with the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) on their virtual conference, which is taking place online this week.

Area, one of the Society’s four academic journals, has published the first editorial from the new team of Editors, Continuing conversations: Reflections on the role and future of Area from the new editorial team.

We are delighted to announce that the call for proposals for AHRC collaborative doctoral projects to start in autumn 2021 is now open.

Join our Author meets critics session with author of Geographies of Anticolonialism, Dr Andy Davies of the University of Liverpool.

We are delighted to announce applications for our Wiley Digital Archive Research Fellowships are open.

Join our Postgraduate Forum as they hold their first Twitter conference from Tuesday 25 to Thursday 27 August.

WIREs Climate Change, a Wiley journal published in association with the Society and the Royal Meteorological Society, is celebrating 10 years of publishing.

Our Geographies of Health and Wellbeing Research Group are hosting a series of online discussion sessions on the realities of doing research that is personal.

This year the Society's Research Groups will be holding their AGMs online.

The Society is looking to revive our Urban Geography Research Group this summer and we are seeking enthusiastic urban geographers to join the new committee to take the group forward.

The results of the 2020 National Student Survey (NSS), published on 15 July, once again paint a positive picture of geography student experiences across the UK.

Over the last year our Geographies of Children, Youth and Families Research Group (GCYFRG) have been profiling researchers active in their part of the discipline, through their Researcher in the Spotlight series.

We are delighted to announce our latest online exhibition: Hidden Histories of Exploration.

New data show that the number of students applying to study geography at university in 2020 is higher than in 2019.

A statement from the Society on our position in relation to our accreditation programme during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest addition to the RGS-IBG book series, Home SOS: Gender, Violence, and Survival in Crisis Ordinary Cambodia, is now available to order online.

We’re excited to announce that the Postgraduate Forum Twitter Conference will take place online from Tuesday 25 to Thursday 27 August.

Our Digital Geographies Research Group (DGRG) are holding their annual symposium on Wednesday 1 July, on Using the Digital: Methodologies, Teaching, and Everyday Practice. 

We’re excited to announce that our 2022 Annual International Conference will be held at Newcastle University between Tuesday 30 August and Friday 2 September 2022.

A series of blog posts on academic publishing for early career researchers, or those taking the first steps in their publishing careers are now live on the Post Graduate Forum (PGF) website.

The annual dissertation prizes offered by the Society, our Research Groups, the Quaternary Research Association and the British Society for Geomorphology are now open for submissions.

Graduates in the humanities and social sciences (HSS) are as employable as graduates of STEM subjects, according to a new report from the British Academy.

New data released by the Department for Education show that over 81% of master’s level geography graduates were in sustained employment, further study, or both, five years after graduation.

We caught up with two of the co-editors, Professor Hilary Geoghegan and Dr Julian Leyland, for our journal Area.

Dr Menusha De Silva (University of Singapore, Singapore) has received this year’s Area prize.

Due to the current uncertain circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic, many of our Research Groups are rethinking their planned activities for the year.

This year our medals and awards recognise 22 different people or organisations for their outstanding contributions to geographical research, fieldwork and teaching, artwork, and public engagement.

Geography Directions, the Society’s blog linked to our scholarly journals, is calling for contributions that bring a geographical lens to the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, as well as pieces that consider the future, and the world, after the pandemic.

We are delighted to announce a new Working Group: the Latin American Geographies Working Group (LAGWG).

Following on from a discussion forum that explored the challenge of financing net zero, the Society has published a briefing report summarising the actions required to meet the scale and pace of change needed to reach a net zero economy.

We are pleased to announce that nominations for positions on the RGS-IBG Postgraduate Forum Committee 2020-2021 are now open.

The Society, the RGS-IBG Postgraduate Forum (PGF), and the PGF Midterm Organisation Committee are working together to explore how we can provide digital spaces on the PGF website that give postgraduates the opportunity to engage with other researchers both within and across the discipline.

We caught up with three of the editors for our journal Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers.

The Society is expanding its university programme accreditation scheme this autumn to include UK geography Master’s programmes.

We are disappointed to announce that the 2020 RGS-IBG Annual International Conference will be postponed until 2021.

Last month, Jisc, the UK’s research and education not-for-profit organisation, and publisher Wiley signed a four year ‘read and publish’ agreement that extends to many UK universities and research institutions.

We are pleased to announce some new editorial appointments for our journals.

Congratulations to the six geographers who were elected as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences last week.

New research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has concluded that university study is a good investment for most students, with those pursuing higher education better off after taxes, student loan repayments and foregone earnings are accounted for.

A statement from the Society on continuing to publish our scholarly journals while supporting everyone involved during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Geovisualisations is a new series of images and articles that explore the power of maps and geographical data visualisations for telling stories about our world.

The Society’s four leading international journals, Area, Geo: Geography and Environment, The Geographical Journal and Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, cover the full spectrum of geographical research. And as the latest issues go to print, here is a preview of some of their content.

Applications are now open for a PhD studentship on the Society’s Collections, as part of our Collaborative Doctoral Awards programme.

Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) statement on industrial action by the University and College Union (UCU).

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has published a new edition of the Subject Benchmark Statement for Geography.

The RGS-IBG book series turns 20 this year, and to date it has published 57 titles spanning the full range of geographical research topics.

The latest addition to the RGS-IBG book series, Geographies of anticolonialism: political networks across and beyond south India, c.1900-1930, is now available to order online.

To celebrate the Higher Education Research Group becoming the Geography and Education Research Group (GeogEd), a conference is being held at the University of the West of England in mid-December.

Every year we support the Society’s 31 Research and Working Groups through the Research Groups grants scheme, and we are delighted to be supporting a range of activities over the coming year.

Our next Annual International Conference will be held at the Society in London from Tuesday 1 to Friday 4 September 2020, and the call for sessions, papers and posters is now open.

The RGS-IBG Postgraduate Forum’s 2020 Midterm Conference takes place between 30 April – 1 May and the call for papers is now open.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of five new Editors for two of the Society’s academic journals and the RGS-IBG book series, alongside the appointment of a new Managing Editor for the Society’s academic publications.

We are delighted to welcome our newest Collaborative Doctoral Award student, Alice Oates, who has started her PhD project exploring the governance of Antarctica.

The latest addition to the RGS-IBG book series, Geopolitics and the event: rethinking Britain’s Iraq war through art, is now available to order online.

The final day of our Annual International Conference in London concluded on Friday.

Research on soil ecology, fertility apps and climate change influencers was presented at our conference yesterday.

Yesterday we welcomed close to 2,000 delegates from across the world to the first day of this year's Annual International Conference.

We have launched a new bank of online resources to support those engaged in geographical teaching and learning in higher education.

The latest issues of the Society’s journals are now available online.

This year we are making a concerted effort to raise awareness around the sustainability of our Annual International Conference.

The results of the 2019 National Student Survey (NSS) paint a positive picture of geography student experiences across the UK.

New research published in our journal Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, has revealed that the US military is one of the largest climate polluters in history, producing more greenhouse gas emissions than most medium-sized countries.

We are delighted to have received funding for the third round of the Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships scheme.

New research, published today in our journal, The Geographical Journal, reveals that children enjoy Forest School activities but can struggle to frame the skills and knowledge they develop in these more informal settings as educational.

New research, published today in our journal The Geographical Journal, reveals the daily disruption homeless families living in temporary hotel accommodation experience.

Our academic journals are now being delivered to subscribers in 100% compostable packaging.

The deadline for early bird registration for this year’s Annual International Conference is fast approaching.

New co-editors are being sought for the Society’s book series and two of our academic journals, Area and The Geographical Journal.

The provisional programme for this year’s Annual International Conference is now live.

The latest issues of the Society’s academic journals are now available online.

This year's Research Group dissertation awards and prizes are now open.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Julian Leyland as a new co-editor for our academic journal Area.

We are delighted to announce the recent election of two new Research Group Representatives to the Society’s Research and Higher Education (RHE) Committee.

Congratulations to Dr Peter Martin who has successfully completed his PhD research as part of the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Awards.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of three new editorial board members for the Society’s book series.

Two members of the Society’s field research programme, Migrants on the margins, presented at the Mobilising Global Voices 2019 conference held at the Houses of Parliament earlier this month.

On Shifting Foundations: state rescaling, policy experimentation and path-dependency in post-1949 China, by Dr Kean Fan Lim, is the newest addition to the RGS-IBG book series.

The Society congratulates the nine geographers elected this week as Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Brexit! The Urban and Regional Implications is a free workshop which will discuss the potential economic consequences of Brexit for both regions and cities across the UK.

The latest issues of the Society’s scholarly journals are now available online.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of four new co-editors for two of the Society’s academic journals.

New research published in our journal Geo: Geography and Environment, reveals the dangers and lengths that thrill-seeking tourists are willing to go to in order to witness live volcanic eruptions.

A recent report, published by the Department for Education and the Institute for Fiscal Studies, provides new insights into what geography students are likely to earn after leaving university.

Over the last few months the Society has responded to calls for evidence for a range of consultations, including from the Geospatial Commission and the UK’s four higher education funding bodies.

The call for sessions, papers and posters at the Society's 2019 annual conference is now open.

This year’s Gilchrist Fieldwork Award recipient is Dr Melissa Murphy from University College London who, in partnership with Dr Emily Stevenson from the University of Cambridge, is researching whether high Arctic rivers are a source of a sink for carbon dioxide.

Our £10,000 Walters Kundert Fellowship enabled Dr Arwyn Edwards to make multiple trips to Svalbard to ask the question: are microbes active in Arctic winters?

The Society recently held a workshop with representatives from 35 universities, to explore how geography can be better promoted within schools, and how applications at degree level can be encouraged.

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the Society’s academic journal Area.

From 1 January 2019, Fellows will be able to opt for digital access to all of our academic journals.

UCAS is now open for applications for courses starting in 2019, but with over 80 UK universities offering more than 1,400 geography-related courses it can seem a little daunting knowing where to start and how to choose.

Last week the Society held the first of two exhibitions taking place this autumn that present initial findings from our field research programme, Migrants on the margins.

New co-editors are being sought for three of the Society’s journals: Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, Area, and Geo: Geography and Environment.

As part of the Migrants on the margins field research project, SOAS University of London in collaboration with the Society have awarded a scholarship to Masters student Nouradin Nour.

The final day of our Annual International Conference in Cardiff has arrived. We’ve put together some of our highlights from the programme today.

Today research on why the commute should be counted as part of the working day is being presented at our Annual International Conference being held in Cardiff this week.

Here are some of our highlights for new research being presented during today’s conference programme.

Professor Adrian Bailey is presenting a keynote lecture at the Geographical Society of China’s annual conference in Xi'an on 29 and 30 August.

The results of the 2018 National Student Survey (NSS), published this month, paint a positive picture of undergraduate geography courses across the UK.

Members of the Society’s Energy Geographies Research Group, have published Energy and Society: a Critical Perspective.

An important consultation on the Research Excellence Framework (REF) for 2021 is now open for comment and the Society would value your input to help inform our response.

The Society, in partnership with Wiley, have developed and launched a new hub for our academic publications.

If you want to better understand our world, a rewarding job that pays well and to help shape the future, then look no further. Report after report tells the same story: choose geography.

The Society has supported 61 field research projects through its grants programme this year. Almost £200,000 of funding has been awarded to nearly 100 individuals from a range of institutions, and they have travelled to over 45 countries in order to carry out their research.

Global Asian City, the latest title in the RGS-IBG book series, examines how migration has changed Seoul and South Korea over the last 20 years.

The Migrants on the margins team were planning next steps for the Society’s Field Research Programme earlier this week by holding a writing workshop at the Society.

The latest title in the RGS-IBG book series, Cryptic Concrete, takes us on a subterranean journey into Cold War West Germany.

Congratulations to the latest nine geography degree programmes to be accredited and approved by the Society’s Council.

The deadlines for our Research Groups' dissertation prizes are coming up soon.

A book exploring the lives of British migrants in Dubai through their personal relationships has been published in the Society’s book series.

The latest issues of the Society’s journals are now available online.