Research in the Department

The Department enjoys an international reputation as a leading centre of geographical research, and is consistently ranked as one of the UK's premier departments in terms of the quantity and quality of its research output. The Department is characterised by, and strongly committed to, a vibrant research culture, organised into five main clusters. Each of these clusters fosters synergies and collaboration amongst its staff members and associated research students.

Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008: The Cambridge University Department of Geography was ranked first jointly with the Departments of Geography at the Universities of Bristol, Durham and Oxford in the 2008 RAE Assessment Exercise. The percentages of research assessed were 30% at 4*, 40% at 3*, 25% at 2* and 5% at 1*. There were 49 Units of Assessment submitted in Geography and Environmental Studies across UK institutions.

As well as our Research Clusters listed below, the Department hosts a number of Research Centres and Units which work on a cross-cluster basis: Centre for Gender Studies, History of Population and Social Structure and the Scott Polar Research Institute.

	The Spaces of Economy & Society cluster is concerned with uneven geographies of economic and social development, inequality and well-being at various spatial scales. Members share a strong commitment to theoretically-informed, empirically rigorous, policy relevant research, and to influencing the public policy agenda. Research is undertaken in both the Global North and Global South, and is structured around four main strands: Geographical Foundations of Economic Performance, Landscapes of Work and Labour, Geographies of Social Welfare, Geographies of Gender. Research projects
	The Society, Environment and Development cluster is engaged in research on a diverse range of topics in both the developed and developing world. Members share major interests in institutions, governance and sustainability. Within the Cluster there are three broad, interrelated strands of research: Society & Environment, the Political Ecology, and Society & Development. Research projects
	The Environmental Processes cluster focuses on understanding Earth surface or near-surface processes in a diverse range of environmental systems - coastal, ecological, fluvial, volcanic and atmospheric. Common ground is found in cross-cutting research projects and in the scientific approaches employed. The cluster contains five groups: Hydrology, Water and Landscape, Landscape ecology, Cambridge Coastal Research Unit, Atmospheric Processes, and the Cambridge Volcanology Group. Research projects
	The Historical & Cultural Geography's main interests lie in culture and in demography. Culture is important to geographers because, in studying diversity and connections, issues of meaning, communication and interpretation are paramount. Demography is important to geographers because population is the material substance of society. The cluster includes the Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure. Research projects
	The Glacial & Quaternary cluster studies geophysical, geological and botanical evidence that provides records of fluctuations in the Earth's climate. The modern and past form and flow of glaciers and ice sheets is a particular focus. Key questions include the following. How will polar ice-sheets respond to changes in climate and what is their contribution to sea level? What does the stratigraphic record tell us about the nature and rate of Quaternary environmental change? The cluster incorporates work at the Scott Polar Research Institute and by the Quaternary Palaeoenvironments Group (QPG). Research projects

The Department benefits from the outstanding research infrastructure of the wider University, and much of the research undertaken is interdisciplinary in nature, involving collaborative links with other cognate departments, such as Earth Sciences, History and Philosophy of Science, the Judge Business School, the Centre for Business Research, and the Centre for History and Economics.