Research Groups in the School of Geographical Sciences
"The School is currently a 6* department having been continuously top ranked in every Research Assessment Exercise"
The School of Geographical Sciences is currently a 6* department having been continuously top ranked by the UK funding council HEFCE’s Research Assessment Exercise. The School's research is focussed on a number of themes which take due cognisance of UK Research Council priority areas, industrial and other stakeholder interests.
Environmental Change and Palaeoclimate
(BRIDGE)
The Bristol Research Initiative
for the Dynamic Global Environment (BRIDGE) group aims to improve the understanding of natural climate and
environmental variability and to use this knowledge to predict future changes more accurately and assess its
impact on all aspects of human society.
We are co-founders of the new Bristol Bio-geoengineering Initiative (BRISBI).
Glaciology
The Bristol Glaciology Centre leads world-class
research into ice sheet processes and subglacial environments. Their aim is to increase our understanding of the
present, past and future behaviour of ice sheets and glaciers, and the links between the cryosphere, oceans and
atmosphere under changing climatic conditions.
Historical-Cultural
The Historical-Cultural
Geographies Research Group investigates the historical and contemporary
geographies of culture. This research is carried out using a range of
qualitative approaches and conceptual ideas, with strong emphases on post-structural
theory, post colonialism, and the history and sociology of science.
Hydrology Group
The research interests of the Hydrology Group focus on the
modelling of hydrologic and hydraulic problems using advanced numerical methods.
They particularly specialize in modelling river flooding, slope geotechnics and subsurface hydrology and predominately
use software developed in-house.
Personal Finance Research Centre
The pfrc undertakes wide-ranging research
on developments in all areas of personal finance and explores their implications for individuals, households and
communities, as well as financial services providers and both central and local government.
Geographies of Political Economy
Political economic geographies theorise and understand economic, social and governance change. Substantively,
research explores the reframing of global financial regulation, urban and regional politics, financial
exclusion and inclusion, analytical political economy, and the epochal shifts towards neoliberal modes
of governance in rich capitalist democracies.
Spatial Modelling
The Spatial Modelling group
focuses on innovative techniques for the analysis of spatial data and their application to social and economic
research problems. Substantively, the group concentrates on: spatial modelling of voting behaviour and electoral
systems; measuring residential segregation, analytical political economy and the modelling tools to support it
(regional growth dynamics, spatial pricing); spatial modelling of central/local governmental financial allocations
and grants; the analysis of social-spatial inequalities in health, spatial diffusion of communicable diseases; and
analysis of spatial inequalities in higher education provision and uptake.