Skip to content
University of Oxford
School of Geography and the Environment

 School of Geography and the Environment

Research News

Research

The School of Geography and the Environment (SoGE) is internationally renowned for the quality and diversity of its research in the field of Geography across the disciplinary spectrum of environmental, social and human science activities.

Research in the School

The School's research clusters are the cornerstones of our research environment. The clusters act as hubs of activity in our research culture, engaging all parts of the research community across the School including our research centres and intitiatives, our staff, students and distinguished research visitors.

  • Biodiversity, Ecosystems and ConservationThe Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Conservation research cluster conducts fundamental and applied research into both scientific and social scientific dimensions of the functioning of ecological and biogeographical systems.
  • Climate Systems and PolicyThe Climate Systems and Policy research cluster aims to build on research excellence in physical climate and biogeochemical processes, impacts and adaptation to climate change, and mitigation.
  • Landscape DynamicsThe Landscape Dynamics research cluster examines the temporal and spatial dynamics of the Earth's land surface in order to explain the significance and context of past environmental changes, the geomorphic processes contributing to these and to the predict future changes.
  • Technological Natures: Materials, Cities, PoliticsThe Technological Natures: Materials, Cities, Politics research cluster's work is unified by a set of theoretical concerns with materiality and knowledge, technological politics / political technologies, affect and performance.
  • Transformations: Economy, Society and PlaceThe Transformations: Economy, Society and Place research cluster seeks to clarify the structure and logic of transformation, especially at moments of rapid change and economic or social crisis.

Five cross-cutting themes supplement the above research clusters by providing the thematic basis for collaborative activities. The cross-cutting themes include: Governance, Measurement, Mobility/Mobilities, Nature of Change, and Temporality.

Research Centres

The School houses two internationally recognised research centres:

  • Environmental Change Institute The Environmental Change Institute is Oxford University's interdisciplinary institute for research on the complex processes of global environmental change, the exploration of sustainable solutions and the promotion of change for the better through partnership and education.
  • Transport Studies Unit The Transport Studies Unit seeks to advance innovative approaches to the study of 'transport futures' over time and space, drawing on relevant, state-of-the art developments in geography, environmental and transport studies, economics, sociology, psychology and the engineering sciences.

Research Programmes

The School runs two inter-departmental research programmes which, like the ECI and TSU, act as interdisciplinary/interdepartmental hubs for research grant bids, contract research staff and policy engagement:

  • Oxford Water Futures ProgrammeThe African Environments Programme (AEP) is an interdisciplinary initiative that aims to foster communication, collaboration and interdisciplinary research between academics at Oxford working on environmental issues in Africa.
  • Oxford Water Futures ProgrammeThe Oxford Water Futures Programme (OWFP) undertakes fundamental and applied research aimed at providing underpinning science and policy advice to achieve water security at all scales, and provides postgraduate and executive training to build a cadre of water professionals with the inter-disciplinary skills needed to address water futures.

Research Initiatives

The School also hosts a number of major research projects and networks including:

  • Oxford Water Futures ProgrammeThe Macronutrient Cycles Programme aims to quantify the scales (magnitude and spatial/temporal variation) of N and P fluxes and nature of transformations through the catchment under a changing climate and perturbed C cycle. NERC has allocated over £8.55m to this programme.
  • UK Climate Impacts ProgrammeThe Oxford Centre for Tropical Forests (OCTF) facilitates collaborative research and communication on issues related to forest governance, management and conservation, and also serves as a platform for broader collaboration between Oxford area institutions and the global forest community.
  • UKCIPUKCIP helps organisations to adapt to inevitable climate change. UKCIP is principally funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
  • Global Environmental Change and Food Security ProgrammeUntil recently the School hosted the international project office of the Global Environmental Change and Food Security Programme (GECAFS) which closed in 2011.

Research Projects

A summary list of all current and recent research projects is available online. A list of research projects is also available by research cluster, please see the cluster webpages for more information.