Program Overview

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Overview

The research undertaken within Geography falls under two interdisciplinary Research Clusters; Environmental Change & Resilience (ECR) and Culture & Society (C&S).

Physical Geography-related projects focus on themes such as long-term landscape and environmental change, resilience of ecosystems, environmental change impacts on heritage structures, and analysis of contaminated lands. Investigative approaches include a range of geo-spatial technologies such as remote sensing, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), big data analysis and spatial and temporal modelling. Much of our research spans several disciplines, for example projects on the hydrogeology and restoration of bogs, climate change implications for resilience and stability of soil, geoforensics and coastal geomorphology. Funding opportunities to pursue these lines of research are available, including the doctoral training partnership, QUADRAT. Further details are available here: www.quadrat.ac.uk

The C&S cluster focuses on a number of themes, both historical and contemporary, which consider the relationships between human society, spatiality and culture. Two doctoral training partnerships provide relevant funding opportunities for research in these areas: NINE-DTP www.ninedtp.ac.uk and Northern Bridge Consortium www.northernbridge.ac.uk Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to make contact with potential supervisors during the autumn semester.

The four main research themes are:

The Geographies of Knowledge:

Research is focused on the geographies of knowledge, with particular emphasis on the cultures of science. The cluster has expertise on the relationships between science, race and religion since 1650; the historical geographies of scientific knowledge; the cultures of botanic gardens in the age of empire; the reception of Darwinism; the role of climate in debates about human cultures; the geopolitics of apocalyptic thought, and the ways in which cultures of science, technology and outer space are connected to questions of place, landscape and identity in the twentieth century.

Landscapes, Critical Cartography and GIS:

Research consists of quantitative spatial analyses of socio-economic data and qualitative cultural analyses of landscapes and cartographic knowledge from the medieval to the modern period. Critical cartographic/GIS techniques have been deployed to interrogate the veracity of the knowledge universe of the map, while digitally-translated documentary data have been used to re-configure our understanding of medieval urbanism and agrarian economies, as well as the spatial dynamics of religion and the politics of cartographic rhetoric.

Political Geography:

Research is focused on nationalism and regional conflict; critical geopolitics of religion; monumental landscapes and the politics of memory; international relations in a globalised world; colonial and postcolonial geographies of India; the processes of border making, geographies of embodiment and the securitisation of public spaces. This work has been carried out from both historical and contemporary perspectives.

The Population Dynamics of Contemporary Societies:

Research is focused on the population dynamics of contemporary societies and includes census analysis; research on travel to work; employability and labour markets; as well as social and religious segregation particularly in divided cities such as Belfast; the study of borders and external migration.

Mode of study / duration

Registration is on a full-time or part-time basis, under the direction of a supervisory team appointed by the University. You will be expected to submit your PhD thesis at the end of three years of full-time or 6 years of part-time registration.

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Subject Summary

For projects related to Physical Geography, your research will focus on themes such as environmental dynamics and resilience, and will apply tools of wide use in the discipline, such as Geographical Information Systems, remote sensing, or spatial and temporal modelling. Our research takes place both within Ireland and the UK, as well as in many other countries around the world. For projects related to Human Geography, your research will focus on a number of themes, both historical and contemporary, which consider the relationships between human society, spatiality and culture. Themes include the Geographies of Knowledge, Landscapes, Critical Cartography and Geographical Information Systems, Political Geography, and The Population Dynamics of Contemporary Societies.

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Geography Highlights

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Career Development

Geography at Queen’s has a long-standing record of inter-disciplinary approaches to understanding the relationship between humans and their natural and cultural environments. Our graduates are equipped with high levels of expertise relevant to some of the leading challenges faced by the world today.

In addition to support from expert staff in Geography, the University’s flagship Graduate School provides postgraduate students with a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary hub to support their personal and professional development.

QUB’s Researcher Plus scheme provides PhD students with an opportunity to develop skills which are transferable beyond their research degrees, and the Researcher Plus award provides them with official recognition for the skills acquired in addition to their research.

Many of our PhD graduates have moved into academic and research roles in Higher Education while others go on to play leading roles in educational practice, the public sector or within NGO’s.

https://www.qub.ac.uk/graduate-school/

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World Class Facilities

Geography hosts three QUB research centres, the Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis, the Centre for Canadian Studies and the Centre for GIS and Geomatics. Strong links exist between physical geography and the QUB Centre for Climate, the Environment and Chronology (14C Chrono )and with the School of Biological Sciences. Human geography has significant and extensive links with the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics (HAPP) and a number of staff are Fellows of the University's Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice.

The University's Core Technology Units (CTUs) provide researchers and graduate students with high-quality training in advanced laboratory techniques and access to state-of-the-art equipment. The Advanced Informatics unit helps us to maintain a comprehensive and systematic data management framework for our research data.

The University’s McClay Library brings together wide-ranging library, computing and media services in a single location, blending the best features of a traditional library with the latest technology and provides state-of-the-art study facilities.

https://www.qub.ac.uk/about/Campus-and-facilities/The-McClay-Library/

https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/NBE/Research/facilities-infrastructure/

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Student Experience

Postgraduates form an intrinsic part of our research community and are actively involved in the School's cross-disciplinary Research Groups. Visit our School website and read about the exciting research being undertaken by our current PhD students.

https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/NBE/Study/PostgraduateResearch/

Research students are encouraged to play a full and active role in relation to the wide range of research activities undertaken within the School and there are many resources available including:

Access to the Queen’s University Postgraduate Researcher Development Programme.

Office accommodation with access to computing facilities and support to attend conferences for full-time PhD students.

Access to the research infrastructure is provided by the School's range of Research Centres and laboratory facilities and by the University’s Core Technology Units.

A Geography research seminar series and 'lunch and learn' feedback sessions.

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Key Facts

Geography at Queens is in the Top 200 in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU, 2021).

Visit our School website and read about the exciting research being undertaken by our current PhD students.

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