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Department of Geography

 

Annual Report 2005: Introduction from the Head of Department

This year three colleagues received well deserved promotions. Phil Gibbard was promoted to a Personal Professorship in Quaternary Palaeoenvironments and Phil Howell and Bhaskar Vira were promoted to Senior Lectureships.

Phil Gibbard is one of the leading Quaternary scientists in the UK who has acquired an international reputation through his meticulous approach to field stratigraphy that he applies to complex problems of explaining the Quaternary history of large river systems in many different areas of the world. His unrivalled understanding and knowledge of the history of the River Thames is exemplary in this respect. One of Phil’s strengths lies in his sensitivity to the historical evidence and his rigorous application of appropriate stratigraphical and sedimentological models. His research output has been distinguished recently by the publication of the 3-volume work on the Extent and Chronology of Glaciation. Phil champions the cause of Quaternary research and teaching in the University directing the MPhil in Quaternary Science that involves collaboration with other departments in the University, particularly Earth Sciences and is (and has been) the supervisor of numerous PhD students.

Phil Howell’s main area of research expertise is the historical and cultural geography of 19th century Britain in the areas of sexuality, urban culture, working class political movements and social constructions of nature. He plays an important role in maintaining the long and distinguished tradition of teaching in historical geography for which Cambridge is known.

Bhaskar Vira’s background is in environmental economics. His areas of research expertise include environmental and institutional economics, environmental impacts and project assessment and the institutional aspects of resource management in India. Bhaskar teaches courses on South Asia and also contributes to our successful MPhil in Environment, Society and Development.

Ron Martin was elected a Fellow of the British Academy for his work in economic geography. Ron’s current projects include analysing the competitive performance of regions and cities and the geography of workfare. Ron has a strong commitment to the policy relevance of geography. In that same spirit, Susan Owens accepted an invitation to become a member of the Steering Panel for DEFRA’s Review of Science and has also been appointed to serve for a third term on the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution. Mia Gray became the secretary of the Economic Research Group of the RGS-IBG.

During the year Keith Richards became the President of the Geography Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. It was also announced that Keith would be Chair of the Geography and Environmental Studies sub panel for the 2008 RAE – simultaneous congratulations and commiserations!

A number of visiting scholars spent time with us including Dr Sheila Jasanoff (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard) who came as a Leverhulme Visiting Scholar (jointly with HPS). Sheila provided a keynote lecture in a one day human geography symposium on Citizenship, held in the Department. Others speaking at this included Richard Smith, Nick Blomley and Andrew Dobson.

Congratulations both to Peter Kitson, on the award of a British Academy Post Doctoral Fellowship and to Wynet Smith on her appointment as a new College Teaching Officer at St Catharine’s College. Will Harvey was awarded the best Masters Dissertation prize of the Economic Geography Research Group of the RGS-IBG for his work examining immigrant networks in the biotechnology industry. Will together with other postgraduates in the economic and social geography research cluster organised a very successful postgraduate conference here in Cambridge at Easter on “Producing Rigorous and Relevant Methodologies in Social and Economic Geography”.

Dr Andy Currah (PhD student) was appointed as University Lecturer and Career Development Fellow at Oxford University. Dr Steve Legg (ESRC Post-Doctoral Fellow) accepted a Lectureship in Cultural and Historical Geography at the University of Nottingham (to start 2006). Dr. Nick Megoran (Junior Research Fellow), accepted a Lectureship at Newcastle University. Dr. Martin Head, Affiliated Lecturer in the Department, took up a Professorship at Brock University in Canada. We wish all of them well in their future careers.

During the year Jane Robinson was promoted to the Office of Librarian – which gave her the additional, dubious, pleasure of attending University Officers Meetings. Nadine Keating, General Office Manager went on maternity leave in May 2005 and Christina Ganslev provided cover during this time. In the space of a few months we lost the services of Simon Virr, Department Administrator, and Bryony Amesbury our Research Administrator. Dr. Alison Maguire took over from Bryony (joining us from the Personnel Division) and following a short period when Sally Pinnock provided cover, Mrs Jamie Horsley (joining us from the Research Services Division) took over from Simon. Joyce Hilling (senior secretary for HPSS) resigned and Anne Wooley (Faculty Secretary) also resigned and was replaced by Simon Cronshaw. In the Accounts Office, Jill Beaumont joined the Department replacing Caroline Mitchell.

This was a quiet year for building work but it should be noted that the atmospheric processes suite, created by refurbishing the former cartography office was completed during the year and provided excellent co-located space for academic staff (Hans Graf and Clive Oppenheimer) plus postgraduates, post-docs and visitors.

Bob Haining
Head of Department