PhD in Human Geography

As a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at Reading, you will be part of a vibrant research community.Areas of expertiseOur research spans a broad range of topics at the interface between humans and the environment.Geographies of justice, care and responsibilityWe focus on inequalities, participatory approaches, politics and governance in diverse fields. These include environmental change, food networks, gender and caring relations, and citizen science at local–global spatial scales.Global development, environment and sustainabilityWe critically examine global flows of ideas and resources looking at the interactions between poverty, population, livelihood development, governance and sustainability of natural resources.Past climate and environmental changeWe use a range of palaeo-data and modelling approaches to understand past human–environment–climate relationships at regional to global scales, over millennial to glacial-interglacial time frames.Environmental scienceWe conduct in-depth and cross-disciplinary environmental science to address global challenges. We have a strong focus on soil, water and air, all in relation to ecosystem services, sustainable production and natural hazards, and we work at scales ranging from molecular to Earth system.Particular research focuses are:bio-geochemistry, pollution and soil sciencehydrometeorology and hydrology, including water quality and global-scale forecastingnatural hazards (such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, fires, and landslides)remote sensing, and land surface process and ocean bio-geochemical modelling.

To be accepted onto our PhD programme, you will need a Bachelor's degree of at least 2:1 level (or equivalent), or a master's degree, in a subject related to your proposed PhD research topic.