Research in Geography, Geology and the Environment

Research in GGE comes under the umbrella of the Research Institute for the Environment, Physical Sciences & Applied Mathematics (EPSAM) and Research Institute for Social Sciences. 

In GGE we believe that 'Research informs Teaching' and active research is the essential underpinning of all activities.

There are several internationally respected research groups who occupy distinctive niches in the research spectrum, pursuing excellence over superficiality.

Our particular expertise in the Applied Geosciences is provided by :

  • Applied and Environmental Geophysics Research Group who focus on the application of high-resolution geophysical techniques to engineering, environmental and archaeological problems.
  • The Basin Dynamics Research Group who study the controls and fill of sedimentary basins and their subsequent deformation and inversion at lithospheric scale using numerical analysis, and at smaller scales using seismic reflection interpretation and structural geology.
  • The Keele Petrology Group with a focus on research into igneous petrology and volcanology.

All of these groups are supported by Research Council, European and Industrial sponsors and also provide technology transfer to local and regional SMEs and major industrial organizations. 

Research in Physical Geography places emphasis on improving our understanding of past and present environments, which is essential in the context of current concerns about global climate change and mitigation of natural hazards.

Fieldwork in glacial and ice-marginal environments is combined with experimental and analytical research in a suite of laboratories that include low-temperature, sedimentological and geochemical facilities. Our core expertise is in glaciology, geomorphology, hydrology and oceanography, and our research encompasses modern glacial systems (especially in Greenland and Iceland), ancient glacial landscapes such as those local to Keele and offshore and coastal environments in Denmark, Wales and Scotland.

Research in Human Geography is clustered around four intersecting areas:

  • Family mobility, social justice and medical geography/social demography
  • International migration, development, sustainability and cultural economies
  • South Asian and cross-cultural world literature, postcolonial lifeworlds and literary representations of place and space
  • Cultural geographies of everyday mobilities, embodied practices, and artistic performances

Staff in Geography are members of the Environment, Physical Sciences and Applied Mathematics (EPSAM) Research Institute or the Research Institute for Social Sciences. Interdisciplinary research with colleagues in the Humanities and Social Sciences is strongly encouraged at Keele.