Academic news and updates

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

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.

If you are using your geographical skills, knowledge and understanding in the workplace, have a look at our new bank of online career resources for professional geographers.

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.

A shortlist of 50 of the best environmental photographs and four films that document the Earth in all its diversity, have been selected for the Society’s Earth Photo competition, opening as a virtual exhibition today.

Earth Photo, the international competition and exhibition created by Forestry England and the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), is delighted to reveal its shortlist of 50 photographs and four films in a new online exhibition. Earth Photo’s main objective is to better connect us with the world by telling stories about our planet, its inhabitants and our treatment of both, and to encourage discussion.

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.

To celebrate the work of the Dudley Stamp Memorial Award, we have created an interactive story map to give an insight into the breadth of the award and a selection of the wide range of projects it has supported.

We have relaunched the register of Chartered Geographers (CGeog) on our website.

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.

As part of our celebration of this year’s medals and awards recipients, we caught up with Dr James Esson, recipient of the Taylor and Francis Award for his contributions to teaching and learning in higher education, in our most recent Geography now podcast.

Dr James Esson talks to us about his research on the irregular migration of West African males to Europe through football related human trafficking and race issues within British geography.

Congratulations to our Fellows who were awarded Chartered Geographer status by our Council in June.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Society's building is currently closed to everyone - including Fellows and members - and staff are working remotely.

Soil is our vital resource yet we tend to overlook it. Most people have contact with soil daily, even if only walking over it, but will rarely consider its value.

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

Ron Johnston was a world-leading political geographer, President of the Institute of British Geographers in 1991 and two-time Society medal award winner.

Brian Robson was a world-leading urban geographer, Editor of both Area and the Transactions of British Geographers, and recipient of the Founder’s Medal.

Join Chris Speight for this virtual walk around Kielder.

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.

The Geospatial Commission launched its National Geospatial Strategy yesterday.

The Government Geography Profession has become a standalone profession within the Government Analysis Function and will be based at the Cabinet Office with the Geospatial Commission.

We are delighted to announce the recipients of our 2019 Excellence Awards and congratulate the students who achieved the highest marks nationally in last year’s summer examinations.

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.

Hear Snowdonia’s various pasts and futures as a cultural landscape, as wildland, and as a people's playground.

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.

The Society stands in solidarity with Black communities globally against racism and inequality, and joins the global calls to reaffirm that Black lives matter following the shocking and tragic death of George Floyd.

We caught up with Michael Jones, recipient of the Patron’s Medal for his contribution to the development of geospatial information, to discuss his career, his greatest achievement and his love of maps.

Join Chris Speight for this virtual walk around Fort William. Locks, lochs, glens and Bens - this virtual walk has it all.

Luke Turner talks about his book Out of the Woods, a critically acclaimed work of memoir and nature writing. 

Since late 2019, Chartered Geographers have been able to request that their CPD log is reviewed and certified by the accreditation scheme’s assessors.

There are only three weeks left for geographers wanting to start their teacher training in autumn 2020 to apply for our Geography Teacher Training Scholarship programme.

What makes a successful rural community? How can community be developed? How can success be measured?

This week is Volunteers’ Week, an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people across the UK make through volunteering each year.

Congratulations to the newest members of our Council, who were elected at our Annual General Meeting (AGM) yesterday.

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.

Take a virtual journey with photographer Beth Wald into the remote and harshly beautiful Wakhan Corridor of northeast Afghanistan.

In this episode of Geography now podcast, Peter Cooper discusses animal reintroductions from a British perspective.

The Society and the Financial Times are pleased to announce the launch of our joint School Essay Competition for 2020.

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

Professor Tom Rippeth explores the interconnectedness of the global oceans with our weather and climate.

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

Dr David Hilling was a long-standing Fellow and faithful supporter of the Geographical Club. He was a renowned lecturer and was appointed an MBE for his services to Inland Waterways. 

Paul Rose takes us on an expedition across the world from your own home. 

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.

This year our medals and awards recognise 22 different people or organisations for their outstanding contributions to geographical research, fieldwork, teaching, policy, and public engagement. The internationally renowned geomorphologist, Professor Heather Viles and former Chief Technology Advocate at Google, Michael Jones, have been awarded the Society’s two prestigious Royal Medals.

The Society is delighted to announce the signing of an agreement with the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) that continues the strategic alliance between the two organisations.

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.

Humanity’s tenure on Earth has had very far-reaching consequences. Joe charts the past, present and future of environmental ideas and actions to help find a way through these difficult times.

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.

Society medal recipient Professor Mark Birkin is leading a key workstream of The Rapid Assistance in Modelling the Pandemic (RAMP) initiative.

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.

A guided virtual walk full of fascinating context and history, led by Dick Bateman.

With the Society currently closed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we are hosting our summer programme of teacher CPD events online.

We live in a world shaped by food: a ‘sitopia' (from Gk. sitos, food + topos, place), yet, as Covid-19 reminds us, our failure to recognise this threatens us and our planet. Yet by learning to value food once again, we can not only address the multiple threats we face, but can build better, fairer, more resilient lives for the future.

With the Society currently closed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, our summer programme of Monday night lectures is being streamed online for Fellows and members.

The global coronavirus pandemic has led to significant disruption to the fieldwork plans of many researchers. The Society, through its grants programme, is continuing to select and commit funding for researchers who plan to go into the field when it is safe and responsible to do so.

To mark Earth Day, we’re making our recent Monday night lecture by Dr Tamsin Edwards ‘What fate for Antarctica’ free to view for one week until Wednesday 29 April.

Paul reflects on life with over 50 neighbours over six years, where residents tackle the climate and now the current COVID-19 crises through living in an affordable, co-operative home ownership community made from straw and wood.

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

We are delighted to announce that our Weddell Sea educational resources have received a Highly Commended Award from the 2020 Geographical Association (GA) Publishers’ Awards.

This year’s Young Geographer of the Year competition is now open for entries.

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

The Society has launched Professional Practice Groups, a new framework of support for professional geographers which brings together those with an interest and expertise in a thematic or sectoral area of professional geographical practice.

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

The latest episode of our Ask the geographer podcast, features East Londoner Victoria Ayodeji and her remarkable journey from Hackney to the University of Cambridge.

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.

We are very pleased to have received funding from the Flotilla Foundation to build on our work as educational partner for the Weddell Sea Expedition.

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

Geography Professional is a new programme of support for professionals who are committed to making an application for Chartered Geographer (CGeog) accreditation.

The Society is delighted to be working with the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (managed by MEI) to launch our new Geography and Core Maths initiative, funded by the Department for Education.

Can Jamie Rutherford follow the wall and run the width of England before the sun sets?

70 years after Partition, Shreyashi Dasgupta goes in search of her grandfather's old home.

Alvaro Castilla-Beltrán takes us to Cape Verde to understand the impact of humans on biodiversity, exploring the soils beneath his feet.

On an expedition to scout new routes, Peter Rosso is challenged to address long-term mental health issues while high on the cliff walls.

Ruairi Glasheen meets the young musicians drumming new life into ancient Persian traditions.

Leading an expedition to the Marquesas Islands to study a rare parrot, Liv Grant treks uninhabited islands, swims shark-filled waters and joins a festival of feathers.

Becca Marsh, Maximillian White and Joel Chevallier take adventures to misrepresented places, beginning with a trip around the globe in a £75 car.

This year marks 200 years since the discovery of Antarctica, and to celebrate the British Antarctic Territory (BAT) is running a competition for children aged 4-17 to design an official postage stamp for the territory.

Greenland and Antarctica are distant, unfamiliar places. We hear of giant icebergs breaking away, glaciers crumbling: but how much we do know about the fate of these great ice sheets?

Today is International Women’s Day, and to mark the occasion we’re acknowledging the diversity of field research that some of our inspirational female grant recipients have undertaken in a range of countries over the past year.

Join us for our next Geographical lates event on Britain’s stunning landscapes on Friday 20 March.

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 lines, which are so very fine’: John Harrison, William Hogarth and the trouble with drawing a line of Longitude. Katy considers how a clockmaker and an engraver played their parts in how the longitude problem was solved on paper, in London, before it could ever be resolved at sea.

Professor Robin Flowerdew was a distinguished social geographer, and played a key role in several of the Society’s Research Groups and committees.

Recipient of the 2019 Neville Shulman Challenge Award, Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent, will be sharing tales from her travels to the remote Nagalands of India and Myanmar in an episode of Costing the Earth on BBC Radio 4.

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.

Having successfully crewed the first British sailing boat to sail around the North East/North West passages in one season, David gives us his personal account of this exciting journey and the consequences of this venture.

The deadline for this year’s Fieldwork Apprenticeships is fast approaching.

Professor Peter Furley was a world leader in the study of forest systems, and was a Fellow of the Society for over 25 years.

Our expert panel look at food security and the potential role of new technology, as well as how we can be more mindful of seasonality, production processes, consumption and waste.

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

Peter explores how the strategic location of Singapore has historically made it a contested space and what role the island and its settlements have played across the centuries.

Regional committees are an excellent way to get involved with the Society. At their events across the country you can meet like-minded people, encounter the unexpected on field trips, and engage in lively discussions.

To mark the centenary of Eric Newby’s birth, an exhibition of stunning photographs from his lifetime of travels is now on display in our Pavilion.

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

We are delighted that our Migrants on the margins educational resources were finalists in the Free Digital Content or Open Educational Resources category of the 2020 Bett Awards.

The Director of the world’s largest migration research project argues that inequality should be central to our thinking about migration and how inequality is an important analytical tool for understanding migration processes and outcomes.

We’re excited to announce this year’s Earth Photo competition is now open for entries.

The deadline for this year’s Environment and Sustainability Research Grants is fast approaching.

The Framework of Competencies, which sets out the range of professional expertise and other characteristics required for achieving and maintaining Chartered Geographer status, has been refreshed.

Photographer Guillaume Bonn and curator Rozemin Keshvani discuss Bonn's photo essay on East Africa's disappearing past, barely recognisable but through the echoes of architectural ruins and fragile landscapes.

Before she sets off on her regional theatres tour, we caught up with polar explorer, author and former climate scientist, Felicity Aston, to discuss her experiences of the Polar Regions, the Women’s Euro-Arabian North Pole Expedition and challenging stereotypes.

In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the first sightings of Antarctica, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) has launched Antarctica in sight, a year-long cultural programme to explore the first two centuries of human endeavour in this fascinating continent, and reflect on what the future might be.

The February issue of Geographical is available now both online and in print.

Isabella tells the story of a daring rewilding experiment at Knepp Estate in West Sussex, showing how a wilder countryside can benefit farming, nature and us.

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 deadline for applications to the Frederick Soddy Schools Award has been extended to Monday 3 February.

Hear a panel of some of the UK's most highly respected travel journalists share their hints and tips on how to capture and record your journeys in writing, as well as their experiences on assignment.

How many people can the Earth support? Christopher encourages us to think geographically about the Earth’s carrying capacity whilst considering the perils faced by our planet and our species, and how to survive them.

On 29 November 2019, Fellows and members of the Society took part in a special debate in the House of Lords. 

The age of the smart mobile machine is upon us. Paul explores the intersection between artificial intelligence, robots and their environments, and implications for our country and our planet.

Professor Sylvia Chant was a globally renowned feminist geographer, who shaped the field of international development.

Our new membership card for 2020 is now available, with some interesting changes. 

Congratulations to all the geographers who were recognised in the 2020 New Year Honours list.

We are closed completely between Tuesday 24 December 2019 and Wednesday 1 January 2020, inclusive.

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.

The Society hosted policymakers, researchers and professionals earlier this month, to explore investment solutions to the challenge of financing net-zero.

Research on microplastics has largely focused on the oceans, but what is the contribution from our rivers? Jamie will explore microplastic contamination in UK river basins and the role of floods in microplastic transport.

Earlier this year, the Society’s Council approved the formation of a Professional Advisory Group.

Every year, the Frederick Soddy Schools Award offers grants of between £200 and £600 to teachers leading groups of pupils, from UK and Ireland schools.

Between 2015 - 2019, award winning photographer Marissa Roth made seven transatlantic crossings on the Queen Mary II, resulting in a poetic photographic study of what it means to cross an ocean.

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.

Hear from a range of experts as they discuss evolving climate science, the current policy stance, what the COP25 climate talks hope to achieve, and what you can do.

Welcome to everyone who is attending the second annual geographers in government conference being held at the Society today.

Last week over 50 secondary geography teachers visited the Society to share their ideas and good practice for teaching geography in the classroom, as part of our annual TeachMeet event.

In response to Professor Danny Dorling’s comments about geography degrees, the Society has released the following statement.

Our spring events programme is full of topical issues and themes - book now to avoid missing out.

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.

Loretta focuses on the challenges of gentrification, including the displacement of people as a result of council estate renewal and the impact that gentrification can have on people. Is regeneration urban renewal or social cleansing?

We are delighted to announce that our river and coastal fieldwork resources were commended at the 2019 Scottish Association of Geography Teachers Annual Conference Publishers’ Awards.

Loretta focuses on the challenges of gentrification, including the displacement of people as a result of council estate renewal and the impact that gentrification can have on people. Is regeneration urban renewal or social cleansing?

Prior to his lecture at the University of Cumbria later this month, we caught up with Education Manager for Our Planet and a member of the Education Leadership Group for the WWF Global Network, Matt Larsen-Daw, to discuss his highlights of working on the series and the challenges for reaching a sustainable future.

Marking 200 years since the discovery of land in Antarctica Professor David Vaughan, Jane Rumble OBE, Camilla Nichol and Professor Klaus Dodds will consider Antarctica’s history and its unique status as a continent reserved for peace and science.

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.

As part of our recently relaunched 'Environment and Society Forum' series, in early December we are hosting policymakers, professionals and geographers to explore investment solutions to the challenge of decarbonisation.

To mark GIS day, we’re sharing the career profiles of geographers from a wide range of sectors who use GIS in their day-to-day role.

The winners of the 2019 Young Geographer of the Year competition and Rex Walford Award were presented with their awards in a ceremony held at the Society on Tuesday 12 November.

Last weekend, the Society welcomed over 350 enthusiastic and dedicated delegates, speakers and exhibitors to Explore 2019.

‘Young Geographer of the Year’ is a national competition run by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) to encourage pupils to engage with geographical issues. Each year, the competition receives entries from thousands of pupils from hundreds of schools. This year’s ‘Young Geographer of the Year’ competition was an opportunity for geography pupils to answer the question: ‘Where can geography take you?’

No man’s lands are proliferating in today's turbulent world. Using digital archives and immersive technology, Alasdair, Noam and Elliot explore the stories of places that remain locked behind barbed wire and minefields.