Explore Climate Change at UCL
Providing rigorous scientific and vocational training, this UCL Geography course helps you understand and meet the challenges posed by climate change.
In this course, you will learn about the intricacies of the Earth system of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere and the impact of climate change and variability on this delicate balance.
The programme combines observation-based climate and environmental science with state-of-the-art modelling, focusing on the impacts of climate change.
You will graduate with an understanding of the place of climate change in the broader context of anthropegenic environmental change and the social policies that impact it.
Who is this course for?
You will be best suited for the MSc in Climate Change if you have a strong foundation in geography or the sciences.
You will also need a keen interest in understanding the Earth’s intricare climate system in depth and a desire to learn about the ways in which we assess and simulate its variability.
MSc Open Event
Academic Staff
Course Convenor
Chris convenes the MSc Climate Change Programme. His research revolves around the use of earth system models to answer questions about past and future climate change. His ongoing work for the Palaeoclimate Model Intercomparison (Climate of the Past, 2020) forms part of the past climate community's contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change's 6th Assessment Report.
Jon directs the Coastal and Estuarine Research Unit. His research interests extend across coastal, estuarine and lacustrine environments and mainly concern the dynamics of coupled natural, socio-economic and engineered infrastructure systems and their resilience to geohazards and climate change. He has expertise in hydrodynamic and physical process modelling, data-driven 'machine learning' methods, and behavioural system modelling.
Chronis is a pioneer in the study of long terrestrial sequences. His work has included documenting the response of vegetation to orbital- and millennial-scale climate variability and the importance of glacial tree refugia as museums and cradles of biodiversity. His research has shed light on when interglacials occur and how long they last, contributing toward an extended Milankovitch theory of ice ages.
The central aim of Helene's research is to explain coastal behaviour, system dynamics and mechanisms of forcing over decades and centuries. In particular, she is exploring the relative importance of intrinsic system control versus external climate forcing on the geomorphology and morphodynamics of coastal sedimentary systems.
Sam's research interests are at the interface of business, science and the environment, with a particular focus on weather and climate. His recent research focuses on the development of 19th-century weather-related insurance and histories of climate policies.
Pushpa Arabindoo is a Co-Director of the UCL Urban Laboratory where she leads the priority theme of Wasteland. With an undergraduate degree in Architecture, an MSc in Urban Design and a PhD in Planning, her work assumes an interdisciplinary approach to urban studies, drawing on everything from engineering and natural sciences to humanities and the social sciences. Her research is set in the Indian city of Chennai where she has investigated a range of issues from middle-class activism to subaltern politics and ecological imaginaries around nature, water and waste.
David is Deputy Chair of the Physical Geography MSc programmes and Deputy Director of the London Natural Environment Research Council Doctoral Training Programme (NERC DTP). His research investigates the role of the ocean in the climate system, with his work revealing the exceptional nature of industrial-era changes in Atlantic circulation and ecosystems.
Richard's research seeks to inform sustainable, safe water supplies in low-income countries. From 2009 to 2018, he led an International Association of Hydrologists (IAH) Commission on Groundwater and Climate Change and is a contributing author to two chapters of the IPCC's 6th Assessment Report, Water Cycle Changes and Africa.
Jonathan is the Director of the Environmental Change Research Centre. His research is concerned with the reconstruction of late Pleistocene and Holocene climates using lake sediments, abrupt climate change, human–climate interactions and data-model comparisons. He has authored over 100 publications and supervised/co-supervised over 20 PhD students.
Julian's research includes the investigation of hydrological functioning and numerical modelling in wetland environments. This has predominantly, but not exclusively, involved freshwater ecosystems. His work has focused on the wider catchment hydrological context and the links between wetland hydrology and ecology. In addition, his research investigates the impacts and associated uncertainties of climate change and anthropogenic activities on wetlands, river basins and water resources.
Mark is a Professor of Earth System Science with interests in climate change, ecology, and the Anthropocene. He has authored numerous books on the subject, including 'How to Save Our Planet: The Facts' with his work receiving over 25,00 citations.
Lucy is a Lecturer in Environmental Change and an environmental geochemist. Her expertise includes reconstructing and monitoring climatic, environmental, and anthropogenic drivers of aquatic ecosystem change over timescales ranging from decadal to hundreds of thousands of years.
Eloise is an Associate Professor in Physical Geography and the lead of the UCL Atmospheric Composition and Air Quality research group where she uses complex models and observations from space-based and ground-based platforms to determine the influence of humans on air quality, atmospheric chemistry, ecosystems and human health.
Testimonials
Matthew Doyle, MSc Environment, Politics, and Society
Meet Matthew Doyle, a recent UCL Geography MSc Environment, Politics and Society graduate, exploring how politics shapes our environment and inspiring action on climate and community resilience.
13 Dec 2023
Ajoa Adu, BA Geography
Meet Ajoa, a final year undergraduate student on the BA Geography course and Co-Lead for the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Students Network at the UCL Department of Geography.
07 Dec 2023
Hannah Robson, PhD
Hannah says the scientific methods she is learning in her PhD are invaluable to her career.
11 Oct 2022
News from MSc Climate Change
Maia Watson-Hearne wins RGS Dissertation Prize for innovative Ethiopia food security study
UCL Geography congratulates Maia Watson-Hearne on winning the 2025 RGS Dissertation Prize for her machine-learning analysis of food security in Ethiopia.
06 Feb 2026
Atlantic Ocean currents stayed strong during the last ice age, study finds
New research led by UCL Geography shows deep Atlantic circulation remained warm and active during the last ice age, reshaping how scientists understand past and future climate change.
22 Jan 2026
BSc Geography Insights: Conserving biodiversity in a changing world
In this UCL Geography research mini-series, we highlight work shaping the BSc Geography course, including Professor Jan Axmacher’s insights on biodiversity under climate and land-use change worldwide.
03 Dec 2025
Got questions? Get in touch.
Contact us if you have any questions about studying Geography at UCL.
