School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences
Find out more about the teaching and research activities that take place within this school, which sits within our Faculty of Science and Health
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At the School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences we're studying how our planet works, how it's changing and what we can do about it.
Merging two departments, each with more than 50 years of history, the School's skilled staff conduct impactful research and innovation that informs our relevant and engaging teaching. Our academic expertise covers areas including palaeontology, geology, geotechnical engineering, geography and environmental science.
We're committed to teaching our students through practical lessons and fieldwork, so they can learn from our experts, first-hand.
Teaching
Hands-on learning drives how we teach in the classroom, the lab and the field. We help our students develop the knowledge and practical skills they'll need for future work and research.
School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences Facilities Showcase - University of Portsmouth
Discover the facilities available within the School of the Environment, Geography & Geosciences at the University of Portsmouth.
James Darling: Here in the school, we have a wide range of outstanding research facilities which allow us to really tackle major challenges and problems in Earth and environmental sciences.
Some examples of those facilities include the Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis Unit, where we have specialist, high resolution microscopes and facilities for studying materials at great detail.
We have laboratories like the rock mechanics laboratory, soil mechanics, environmental chemistry laboratories, including specialist computing facilities for remote sensing.
The laboratory facilities we have are essential to the research that we do, and they allow us to really understand how different materials have formed and evolved through time.
They allow us to monitor environmental processes and try and use that data to predict how the earth may change in the future.
Something we're really proud of in this school is that we train all of our students from undergraduate through to Master’s and postgraduate students on how to not only use the instruments but how to interpret data from them as well.
We do work very closely with many companies who come and use our facilities or support projects using these facilities.
Because we have equipment that's really quite unique and specialised, companies can come to us with a problem and we can use our expertise and our facilities to help them solve that problem.
So it's very exciting for the research students to work on problems which have that very clear application in the real world.
The MRes and PhD students get a really hands-on, really exciting, dynamic environment to work in.
They're treated in the same way that staff are in terms of the training they receive, using a lot of world-class facilities, and that's part of our ambition to train our students to become leaders in solving environmental and societal challenges and equipping them with the tools they need to do that.
Learning on location
Students learn on residential fieldwork trips to Malta, Berlin, the Jurassic Coast, Somerset and the Isle of Wight. Self-funded trips to Lapland in Finland, Portugal, Malaysia, and Hong Kong are also available. We've also developed study exchange opportunities with universities in Spain, France, Australia and Canada.
Our students run tests and simulations in labs used by our research staff, including the X-Ray Fluorescence machine, gamma spectrometry, crystal growth, low temperature physics, geochemistry, environmental monitoring, and palaeontology labs.
Student integration
Cooperation and working with students actively shapes our teaching and assessment. Staff operate an open door policy, so students can look for guidance and support whenever they need it.
We work closely with the Students' Union Student Voice representatives to get regular feedback from students. We also run mid-term staff and student meetings to check in on how we're doing.
We encourage our students to build networks and study groups with peers during their time at Portsmouth. The UoP Geography Society and Student Chapter of the Society of Economic Geographers are great opportunities to meet and work with like-minded students.
Employability
We run an employability conference every year during Induction Week. Portsmouth alumni drop in to talk to students about their graduate experiences, the jobs they're in now and working towards a career they're passionate about.
We have strong links with industry and often undertake site visits and invite industry experts as guest speakers. All of our courses offer the opportunity to undertake a placement year in industry or to study abroad.
Our courses are accredited by relevant professional bodies, so employers know that our students are highly skilled and job ready. Accreditations bodies include the Palaeontology Society, Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES), Royal Geographical Society, The Geological Society and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IMMM).
Our teaching areas
Earth sciences
Study the planet we live on – how it was formed, how to manage disasters and solve the world's pressing problems on one of our Earth Sciences degrees.
Geography and environmental science courses
Explore the scientific processes and physical structures of the natural world, and our effect on them, on one of our Geography and Environmental Science degree courses.
Research
Our research aims to provide solutions to the complex environmental and geographic challenges we face today. It makes a positive impact at the local, national and international level.
Our research was submitted to Unit of Assessment (UoA) 7 and UoA14 in the Research Excellence Framework 2021. Both UoAs demonstrated research impact that was as outstanding or very considerable in terms of their reach and significance. Our impact case studies evidenced societal benefits in areas such as water quality monitoring, management of the Chernobyl exclusion zone and improving the wellbeing of international women migrants and their families in Indonesia.
Partnerships and funding
We work with organisations such as the Mountain Research Initiative Group and CommonSensing Project funded by the UK Space Agency.
Our research has been funded by research bodies including the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Science and Technology Facilities Council, Royal Society, Royal Geographic Society (RGS) and the Economic and Social Research Council.
Earth and Environmental Sciences
We're researching our planet and the evolution of life, from the very beginning to the present day, to better understand the future. Explore our earth & environmental sciences research.
Physical and Human Geography
We're researching physical and human geography and the causes and effects of social and environmental crises, and finding solutions to these problems. Explore our physical and human geography research.
Our research centres and groups
Much of our research takes place within the following cross-disciplinary research centres, groups and clusters:
We aim to meet the holistic and multi-disciplinary research needed to inform blue governance mechanisms. We takes a more expansive view of Blue Economy to encompass marine and freshwater systems and conceptualises them as development spaces.
Centre for Applied Geosciences
We're researching the investigation and management of natural and manmade hazards to help communities adapt to environmental change.
Cluster for Sustainable Cities
We're improving cities through sustainable urban development that meets today's social and environmental needs.
Climate Change and the Environment
We're researching reconstructing climate change generally, with specific focus on volcanoes and snow, ice and glaciers.
Crustal Evolution Research Group
We're researching the development of plate tectonics throughout history and how these changes have influenced rates of crustal growth.
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Monitoring Research Group
We're researching pure and applied aspects of biological and environmental sciences that are associated with how humans impact the environment.
Engineering Geology and Natural Hazards Research Group
We're researching the impact of natural and man-made hazards upon communities, helping them to adapt to environmental change while ensuring future resilience.
Environmental Technology and Management Research Group
We're researching constructed wetlands, sustainable drainage, waste water processing and rain water harvesting.
Marine Environmental Science Research Group
We're researching the interaction of humans with the marine environment, addressing some of the key environmental issues that we face in marine science.
Materials Structures and Geotechnics Research Group
We're researching advanced composite structures, construction materials engineering and geotechnical stability and testing.
Recent research projects include
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Chemcatcher passive sampler
We developed an improved passive water sampler, used to monitor water quality across the globe. The creation and uptake of the Chemcatcher has lead to the development of national and international standards for the use of passive samplers. It's been used to measure levels of pharmaceutical pollutants all the way to radioactivity in water after the Fukushima nuclear incident.
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The Wildlife at Chernobyl
We've assessed the radiosensitivity of animals in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, and are creating sustainable ways to develop the area, including the creation of Atomik vodka.
Our staff
Explore the Faculty
Explore the other Schools and Departments that make up our Faculty of Science and Health.
Our research areas
Explore the research areas covered by the School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences.
Contact us
To get in touch, please contact our Faculty office.
News, blogs and podcasts
Find our more about our latest research successes, read blogs by our academics and listen to the latest ideas and discoveries that look set to change our lives in our Life Solved podcast.
Sustainability and the environment blog
Episode 4: Deep, Blue Thinking
Episode 6: The Politics of Water
Episode 7: Britain's Burning Future
Episode 1: Plastic Waste and the Economics of Sustainability
