UCL Department of Geography

For #BlackHistoryMonth Drs Winfred Dotse-Gborgbortsi and Lioba Hirsch explore the importance of their work in #healthgeography to individual communities and global health programmes, and creating more inclusive environments for Black academics. Read more https://tinyurl.com/54v5hfda

PhD student Eleanor Luxton's research aims to work with Afghan women to co-create a space where the ways in which they are portrayed can be discussed, challenged and reimagined. https://tinyurl.com/nmvdu3a9 Subjects she raised in a recent letter to the Guardian https://tinyurl.com/4hae9baf

September in the beautiful #YorkshireDales. Follow our students and lecturers on our #Palaeoclimatology and Tipping Summer School field trip studying past glacial #climates and #climatechange #UCLGeography #environment Read more: https://tinyurl.com/4tsnsv7w

UCL Geography is calling for 2026/2027 applications for The Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships. The department's internal deadline for applications is extended to Monday 16 November 2026. at 12pm. For more details: https://tinyurl.com/3e27xj3e #research #fellowships #academicfunding

📢 We are excited to launch our new Data Storytelling Toolkit! The UCL Social Data Institute, in collaboration with the Geographic Data Service, is pleased to introduce a new open-access resource to support researchers in developing their data storytelling practice. 🔗 tinyurl.com/DataStoryToolkit

UCL Geography is calling for 2026/2027 applications for The Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships. The department's internal deadline for applications is Friday 2 November 2026 at 12pm. For more details: https://tinyurl.com/3e27xj3e #research #fellowships #academicfunding

Welcome to all our undergraduates! We hope you have enjoyed your first week, including today's Sustainability induction and induction to the wonderful treasures of the UCL Map Library #maps #cartography #sustainability #UCLGeography #maplibrary

"There's all sorts of choices and decisions that cartographers are making that gently steer us in one direction or another. And that's what makes them so powerful." Check out James Cheshire's (SODA Director and Professor in @uclgeography.bsky.social) on BBC Radio Stoke 👇 #maps #cartography #bbc

"What we forget when looking at a map on a phone screen is how big physical maps are – you can lean over them, trace routes. They give you a god-like view on the world." James Cheshire, SODA Director and Professor of Cartography (@uclgeography.bsky.social) in @thespectator1828.bsky.social. #maps

🥛 Dr Johanna Zetterstrom-Sharp (UCL Institute of Archaeology) and Dr JC Niala @jcniala.bsky.social (University of Oxford’s History of Science Museum), are in the new BBC Ideas film: ‘Five surprising things you probably didn’t know about milk’. Check it out 👇 #Milk #BBCIdeas #Archaeology

“...if you’re trying to show things that relate to the population of the planet, Mercator’s not the way to go, ...it expands the areas where no one lives, largely.” Professor James Cheshire on BBC Radio 4 thinking critically about the maps we use. Read more about James' work: https://bit.ly/46PTCDi

We are delighted to celebrate and congratulate UCL Geography students who graduated yesterday! We are so proud of you and wish you all the best for the future.

"If you’re trying to show things that relate to the population of the planet, Mercator’s not the way to go, because, actually, it expands the areas where no one lives, largely.” James Cheshire, SODA Director and Professor of Cartography (@uclgeography.bsky.social), on BBC Radio 4. #BBC #Maps

"There's no perfect solution to this problem, but I do think the push for more variation in the kinds of maps that we commonly look at is a welcome suggestion." James Cheshire, SODA Director and Professor of Geographic Information and Cartography in @uclgeography.bsky.social on BBC News 👇 #map #UN

Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, Professor of Migration and Refugee Studies has been awarded Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS). We’d like to congratulate Elena for this very well-deserved recognition of her outstanding contributions to the social sciences. 🔗https://tinyurl.com/25pnvz3d

We are delighted to announce that Michał Iliev, PhD student in the @uclgeography.bsky.social, received the Jack Dangermond Award by Esri UK! Michał won the prize for his Data After Dark StoryMap: Locating London's night-time food deserts. 🧵

One field. Two generations. 🌱 When Derek Sayer stopped farming a Norfolk field, his son, @ucl.ac.uk Geography's @carlsayer.bsky.social, began studying its recovery. 15 years later, 150+ plant species have been recorded. #UCLGeography #Biodiversity @norfolkponds.bsky.social

Affordable laser scanning is opening up new possibilities for forest research and monitoring in Madagascar. @ucl.ac.uk Geography researchers are working with local partners to put powerful environmental data into local hands. #UCLGeography #EarthObservation #LiDAR

New @ucl.ac.uk Geography research explores how flow, belonging and bouldering may influence wellbeing through Climbing for Wellbeing. Read more: tinyurl.com/ucl-climb #UCLGeography #ClimbingForWellbeing @annafreudcharity.bsky.social @uclgrandchallenges.bsky.social @uk.theconversation.com

Europe is feeling the heat. ☀️ @ucl.ac.uk Geography’s @profmarkmaslin.bsky.social discusses how extreme heat and drought are putting pressure on Europe’s power systems, and why storage, flexibility and resilience matter for a hotter future. #UCLGeography #ClimateChange

Not one, not two, but three Senior Promotions💜 Congratulations to Julia Du Pont De Romémont (@uclspp.bsky.social), Caroline Parker (UCL Anthropology), and Igor Tkalec (@uclgeography.bsky.social) on their promotions. Full list: tinyurl.com/35tj2ah8 #Promotions #UCL #SocialData #Celebrate

Congratulations to Research Technician David Fairman, named @ucl.ac.uk Technical Professional of the Year 2026 (Research)! His expertise in marine sediments and foraminifera supports research into past oceans, climate and deep-sea currents. #UCLGeography #ClimateResearch #Palaeoclimate

🎉 Celebrating four promotions at @ucl.ac.uk Geography! @jameskneale.bsky.social & @tatianathieme.bsky.social will become Professors of Human Geography, while Tom Western becomes Associate Professor & Igor Tkalec Associate Professor (Teaching). Congrats to all four! 👏 #UCLGeography #Geography

In this paper James Cheshire (@uclgeography.bsky.social) and Rob Davidson draw on 20 semi-structured interviews with people who communicate research on geographic health inequalities to explore the challenges of using data visualisation in practice 🔗 tinyurl.com/5d4y763u #Data #Health @ucl.ac.uk

Award-winning research is showing the links between forests & food security in Amazonia. Research co-authored by Dr Thais Morcatty has won first place in the MapBiomas Brasil awards, recognising a @springernature.com study on wild meat and deforestation. #UCLGeography #Amazon #WildMeat @ucl.ac.uk

#ClimateChange in one guide. Climate change demands more than scientific understanding. @profmarkmaslin.bsky.social's new book brings together the science, politics and solutions shaping one of the defining challenges of our time. 📚 #UCLGeography @ucl.ac.uk

Catch Professor James Cheshire on BBC Sounds. 🎧 If you missed Sunday's BBC 6 Music appearance with @cerysmatthews.bsky.social, you can now listen back as James discusses The Library of Lost Maps and the music that inspired it. 🗺️ #UCLGeography #Cartography @ucl.ac.uk @uclsocialdata.bsky.social

What can creative research reveal about cities? Explore (In)Forming Urban Agency, a free exhibition by @ucl.ac.uk Geography PhD researchers Hanxi Wang and Richard Müller, using photography, film and installation to examine informal urban life across Asia. 5–14 Aug. #UCLGeography #UrbanResearch

This Sunday at 10am, Professor James Cheshire (MSc Social and Geographic Data Science) joins BBC Radio 6 Music to discuss The Library of Lost Maps, exploring @ucl.ac.uk’s map archive and how maps have shaped discovery, society and our understanding of the world. @uclsocialdata.bsky.social

Borders are more than fences and checkpoints. In a DW News interview, Prof. @realjdittmer.bsky.social explains how Gibraltar’s new border arrangements reveal the role of geography, economics, identity and digital technologies in shaping modern borders. #PoliticalGeography #Gibraltar #UCLGeography

What if cities were designed with trees, soils, insects and ecosystems in mind? 🌱 Associate Professor @parabindoo.bsky.social (MSc Urban Studies) explores how more-than-human thinking could reshape planning practice and London’s urban future. #UCLGeography #UrbanPlanning #ClimateAction @ucl.ac.uk

Spaceflight is accelerating fast, satellite launches are up 10x since 2015. @ucl.ac.uk Geography researchers helped lead a white paper calling for coordinated global research into its atmospheric impacts, from climate effects to ozone loss. #SpaceScience #Climate @connorbarker.bsky.social

What does human-centred research look like in the age of AI? @ucl.ac.uk Geography PhD student Eleanor Luxton reflects on a workshop where early career researchers explored creative methods, collaboration and research beyond the data. #UCLGeography #ResearchCulture

We are hiring: Research Fellow in African Heritage, Remote Sensing and GIS The postholder will be employed on the Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments (MAEASaM) project. Full time | Hybrid | Fixed-term | Deadline: 26 July 2026 Find out more: tinyurl.com/2myczpv8 #jobs

Can nature restore itself? Research from @ucl.ac.uk Geography shows abandoned farmland became a species-rich wildflower meadow without sowing seeds. The findings suggest nature-led restoration could boost biodiversity while reducing costs. What do you think? #NatureRecovery #Ecology bit.ly/44czoCu

📣 Invitation to submit “The planet and its people need a multi-disciplinary and transdisciplinary effort on city systems to improve Planetary Health.” We invite interdisciplinary research on how city systems can support #PlanetaryHealth in practice. Read the CFP: bit.ly/3PCWqil #DiamondOA

We just finished running a 2-day #pond restoration training course for @freshwaterbio.bsky.social at our demonstation restored pond landscape in Heydon, Norfolk. Brilliant fun & successful despite the heat in a metal world war 1 accomodation hut (village hall) @uclgeography.bsky.social

Who gets to tell humanity's story? Lucy changed how we understand human evolution. A new article by @profmarkmaslin.bsky.social and Peter Kjærgaard explores her journey from Ethiopia to Abu Dhabi, raising questions about museums, heritage and the geography of knowledge. @uclarchaeology.bsky.social

What can the Amazon teach us about climate action? As part of London Climate Action Week, we're exploring biodiversity, livelihoods and climate solutions, themes studied on our MSc Conservation, Climate Change and EPS courses. Find out more: tinyurl.com/ucl-lcaw #LCAW @ucl.ac.uk

Congratulations to Muki Haklay, Professor of Geographical Information Science in the UCL Department of Geography, and UCL alumnus Patrick Weber, who won the IEEE Test of Time Award for their 2008 @openstreetmap.bsky.social paper! Find out more and access the paper 👇 #OpenStreetap #Awards

How do students experience the climate crisis, and what role can universities play in driving change? As #LCAW2026 begins, @profmarkmaslin.bsky.social joins a discussion on climate anxiety, activism and action, issues at the heart of geography. 🎥 bit.ly/4xEfg9U

📣 Have you heard? Thanks to incredible minds from every corner of the globe, from curious first-years to Nobel prize-winning researchers, we’re now joint #8 in the QS World University Rankings. We are University College London. And here, it can happen. #QSWUR 🔗: https://bit.ly/4vlW4w2

We're recruiting Postgraduate Teaching Assistants for 2026/27. PGTA roles offers the opportunity to develop teaching experience, support student learning and build skills alongside their research. Apply now: tinyurl.com/ucl-pgta26 #UCLGeography #HigherEd #AcademicCareers

Congratulations to MSc Climate Change graduate Fangjingcheng Zhu, whose dissertation research has contributed to a new paper exploring how the Gulf Stream responded during an abrupt global cold snap nearly 13,000 years ago. Read the paper: tinyurl.com/ycy6ef77 The MSc: tinyurl.com/2zcta8uu

What happens when El Niño and climate change interact? @profmarkmaslin.bsky.social joined BBC World Service's The Climate Question to discuss how a powerful El Niño could affect weather, food security and global temperatures. #ClimateChange #ElNino #ClimateScience @ucl.ac.uk

What happens when siege becomes the framework for humanitarian action? A new report by Professor Elena Fiddian-Qasmiyeh examines access, protection and accountability in Gaza, Sudan, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon. #MigrationStudies #HumanitarianAction #UCLGeography @ucl.ac.uk

What can the 3D structure of a forest tell us about ecosystem resilience? 🌳 @mokros.bsky.social secured ARIA funding for 3DTreePrint, using low-cost LiDAR to create detailed 3D forest measurements for conservation and environmental management. #UCLGeography #RemoteSensing #Biodiversity @ucl.ac.uk

"Bringing back Homo erectus would be an incredibly selfish scientific experiment...If we had the technology, there are much more exciting things we could do, like reversing the biodiversity damage we’ve already done." @profmarkmaslin.bsky.social in The Observer on Richard Dawkins' new novel 👇

Wondering how a Social Data Intern could support your organisation? Head to tinyurl.com/pk7tyjf6 to find out more!

In Brazil, urban space reflects racialised segregation, labour and governance. Renato Emerson dos Santos shows racial capitalism produces uneven urban space and Black movements challenge it. 📍 16 Jun 2026, IAS Common Ground, UCL #UrbanGeography #RacialCapitalism