Postgraduate Prospectus 2013 - Swansea University

Geography
Research opportunities
MSc by Research, MPhil, PhD, MRes
RAE2008 60% of research rated
world-leading (4*) or internationally
excellent (3*)
Professors
D Clarke
H Crawley
S Davies
M Doel
S Doerr
T Murray
A Street-Perrott
R Walsh
P North
Geography, the study of the world in
which we live, helps us to understand how
landscapes are shaped, how populations
move and interact, and how climate
change will affect us all. Key research
themes at Swansea include environmental
and climatic change, migration and
national identity, glaciology and icesheet
dynamics, global environment modelling
and Earth observation, and social theory
and global cities.
The Department welcomes proposals for
postgraduate research projects that
complement staff research interests.
Research degrees in Geography will:
• provide you with new and specialised
research skills
• prepare you for a career in academic
research and teaching
• equip you with skills relevant for a
rewarding career in a range of fields,
including environmental management,
conservation, planning, local authorities,
education, computing, management,
finance, and insurance
Geographers at Swansea benefit from
exceptional computing facilities that
include fifteen dual-processor workstations
for Earth Observation, a 20-node
Academic and research staff 36
Postgraduates 50
Entry requirements:
Normally a Master’s degree or a minimum
of a 2.1 Honours degree. Researchtraining
recognition for Human Geography
applicants is desired.
English Language requirement:
IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 5.5 in each
component) or Swansea University
recognised equivalent.
multiprocessor Beowulf cluster, and the
Department’s IBM ‘Blue Ice’
supercomputer, used mainly for climate
and glaciological modelling.
Research Strengths
In Physical Geography, research groups
have a strong quantitative-science
emphasis, encompassing computationally
intensive numerical modelling, advanced
analytical laboratory techniques,
worldwide field campaigns, and satellite
observation. They collaborate with key
agencies such as the British Antarctic
Survey, NASA, and the Hadley Centre.
In Human Geography, research groups
are characterised by socio-spatial
theorisation of the contemporary urban
experience and evidence-based migration
policy research. They work closely with
key institutions such as UNESCO, the
International Organisation for Migration,
and the UK and Welsh Governments.
Postgraduate research students will belong
to one or more of these groups, each of
which is supported by a collegiate
research culture and a high-quality
research environment:
Scholarships and Bursaries
A range of postgraduate scholarships and
bursaries is available. For details, please
visit www.swansea.ac.uk/scholarships/
Postgraduate
Postgraduate studentships awarded by the
Natural Environmental Research Council
(NERC), Economic and Social Research
Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and
Arts and Humanities Research Council
(AHRC) and most other funding bodies
can be held in the Department.
Environmental dynamics group
This group reconstructs past climates and
environments using a range of physical
and chemical archives, especially proxy
records derived from ice cores, lake
sediments, and tree rings. It investigates
land-surface processes such as wildfire,
soil-water repellency, and tropical
hydrology, and routinely leads field
expeditions in Africa, America, Asia,
Australia, and Europe, and coordinates
the Royal Society’s field stations in Borneo.
The group benefits from stable isotope
laboratories and specialist facilities for
biogeochemistry, tephrochronology, and
pollen analysis.
Glaciology group
This group studies the dynamics of
fastflowing glaciers and ice streams,
especially the causes of flow instability. It
uses a wide variety of methods including
fieldwork, remote sensing, and modelling,
and facilities include a 3D digital
photogrammetry workstation and
state-of-the-art field equipment. Current
field projects are based in Svalbard,
Antarctica, and the Alps. The group also
houses the GLIMPSE project, which aims
to advance our understanding of the future
of the Greenland ice sheet.
How can I find out more?
Visit our website:
www.swansea.ac.uk/geography
Contact the Postgraduate
Recruitment Officer:
Tel: +44 (0)1792 295142
Visit the University:
see page 174 for details
Global environmental modelling and
Earth observation group
This group uses satellite data to study the
land, atmosphere, and oceans, and to
improve modelling of climatic change.
Research encompasses a wide range of
applications ranging from the local level
to the global scale. The group is involved
in the NERC National Centre for Earth
Observation (NCEO), and works closely
with scientists at NASA, ESA, CEH, and
the Hadley Centre.
Migration, boundaries, and identities
group
This group advances the study of national
and international migration, especially in
relation to ideas of nation, place, and the
social construction of identity (particularly
gender and childhood). It develops new
theoretical frameworks for understanding
the implications of different types of
boundaries – imagined, social, and
political – on the construction and
experiences of particular groups in society
and the ways in which these boundaries
are contested. The group leads the
University’s interdisciplinary research
Centre for Migration Policy Research.
Applications can be made online
at: www.swansea.ac.uk/applyonline
– see pages 176 – 177 for further
information
For details of the Master’s courses
available in Geography, please see
page 56.
Social theory and urban space group
This group develops theoretically
sophisticated, empirically bold, and
socially engaged understandings of space
and spatiality, with particular reference to
modern and postmodern cities. It seeks to
transform the conceptual terrain of Human
Geography through a spatialisation of
post-structuralist theory and leads the
University’s interdisciplinary research
Centre for Urban Theory.
One year MSc by Research programmes
are also available in the following
specialist areas:
• Earth observation
• Environmental dynamics
• Glaciology
• Global environmental modelling
• Global migration
• Media geographies
• Social theory and space
• Urban studies
“As part of researching for a
PhD in glaciology at Swansea, I
was fortunate enough to spend
two months in the Svalbard. This
has been the highlight of my
postgraduate study as the
experience of learning field
techniques in the Arctic,
witnessing the Northern Lights
and racing across the sea-ice
on a snow-scooter is something
I will always appreciate.
”
Damien Mansell,
PhD Glaciology
Research Degrees – Geography
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