Networking and professional development
As a postgraduate student, there are lots of ways to get involved with our work, and opportunities to meet and network with colleagues working in your part of the discipline.
Join us as an Associate Fellow
Associate Fellowship is an opportunity for early-career researchers to be part of – and engage with – the geographical research community. As an Associate Fellow you can use your membership for discounts on conferences, networking through our research groups, and exchanging ideas through our Postgraduate Forum. As a professional membership, Associate Fellowship is also widely recognised as a commitment to, and active involvement in, the geographical research community.
Postgraduate Forum
The Postgraduate Forum (PGF) is a network of postgraduate Associate Fellows, along with other interested postgraduates working in geography and related disciplines. The PGF run events, including their Mid-Term Conference in the spring each year, as well as icebreaker and training sessions ahead of the Annual International Conference.
Research Groups
The Society has several Research and Working Groups, spanning a range of geographical subdisciplines and topics. Groups bring together active researchers and those with a professional interest in their particular area of geography and related disciplines. They are a great way to meet and network with colleagues working in your research areas, and many offer events, resources and opportunities specifically aimed at supporting their postgraduate members and communities. Some groups award postgraduate dissertation prizes, and many provide funding for travel to conferences.
If you're an Associate Fellow you can join as many of the groups as you like for free. Most groups also offer membership to non-RGS-IBG members (some may charge a small fee for this).
Annual International Conference
Every year we welcome c.2,000 geographers from around the world to our Annual International Conference. The conference is held in late August/early September each year (always the week following the last Monday in August, which is a public holiday in the UK), and plays host to over 400 sessions over the three days of conference.
Postgraduates are very warmly encouraged to submit a paper or poster to one of the sessions, or to consider organising a session for the conference. Each year there are dedicated postgraduate sessions in the programme, and our PGF-ACTS programme, on the day before the conference, is specifically aimed at postgraduates for whom this is their first major academic conference. The Postgraduate Forum also organises a programme of social and networking events throughout the conference.
The call for sessions, papers and posters opens in mid-November each year (closing in early March). You do not have to be contributing to the programme to attend.
Geography Ambassadors
Interested in inspiring the next generation to choose geography? Our Geography Ambassador scheme recruits, trains and supports undergraduate, postgraduate and graduate geographers from universities and organisations to act as Ambassadors for geography in the classroom and beyond. Whether you are interested in getting into teaching or planning a different career pathway, it's a great opportunity to gain experience working with students and practising public speaking.
Attend events
In addition to the Annual International Conference and events organised by the Research Groups and Postgraduate Forum, the Society also organises a programme of events throughout the year, in London and in other regions of the UK, for our members, for wider public audiences and for professionals and policy-makers.
Keeping up to date
We circulate a monthly update of the latest news and announcements for geography and higher education, including information about upcoming events and opportunities and the latest HE updates from the Society. You can currently subscribe via email by emailing rhed@rgs.org to ask to be added to the mailing list.
You can also follow us on Twitter @RGS_IBGhe