Research clusters
Palaeoclimates
Past climates, ecosystems, and evolution, revealed through sediments and modelling.
Environmental Change and Biodiversity
Tracking biodiversity and environmental change to support conservation and restoration.
Environmental Modelling and Observation
Cutting-edge modelling and observation to understand climate change, ecosystems, and air quality.
Global Urbanisms
Exploring global cities through diverse urban lives, politics, and social justice.
Environment, Politics and Society
Linking environment, politics, and society to shape policy and participatory science.
Culture and Migration
Exploring migration, culture, and social inequalities through critical and historical geography.
Geospatial Analytics and Computing (GSAC)
Solving complex ‘where?’ questions using advanced geospatial data, modelling, and AI.
Political Economy and Geopolitics
Explore how global trade, labour, and politics shape today’s world in innovative ways.
Our mission
We aim to produce research that leads in its field and makes a real-world impact. This includes work that shapes teaching, informs policy, drives enterprise, and sparks public debate.
The Department supports many kinds of research, from solo projects to group efforts. We back individual creativity and focus on areas where we can offer fresh ideas and real strength.
Our people, paired with UCL’s broader resources, create a research setting that is active, inclusive, and inspiring.
Interdisciplinary Research
UCL is known for research that brings subjects together. The Department of Geography has helped lead this work, shaping major university-wide projects like the UCL Environment Institute and UCL Urban Laboratory.
We also work closely with wider UCL teams, including the Institute of Advanced Studies, the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, and groups focused on global health, risk, energy, and more.
Research Centres and Projects
Inside the Department, research is shaped by seven Research Clusters. We also host smaller units and run a range of projects.
Research Centres
Research Centres
Home to leading centres on climate, water, data, urbanism, migration, and environmental change.
Research Projects
Explore groundbreaking research on climate, cities, faith, displacement, ecosystems, and more.
Our Past Climates and Environmental Change & Biodiversity teams work with the Environmental Change Research Centre.
The Culture and Migration group is linked with the Migration Research Unit and the Equiano Centre, which explores Black history in Britain.
Got questions? Get in touch.
Contact us if you have any questions about studying Geography at UCL.
