About research at the Department of Geography

Our research generates knowledge that informs land-use management, spatial and community planning, climate and energy policy, natural resource management, and sustainable urban development. We analyze complex interconnections, develop methods for systems thinking and modelling, and make these accessible and relevant to decisionmakers, businesses, and the public sector. Our work contributes to improved management of climate and environmental change, resource use, and societal transformation.

The research is organized in research groups with different geographical, thematic, and methodological orientations. Here are some examples of what is studied at the department:

• Physical and environmental geography examines how climate, environment, natural processes and human activity drives changes in the landscapes over time, with studies of glaciers, water, sea level, biodiversity, land use and vegetation changes. 
• Human Geography and Sustainable Development  conducts research in a variety of geographical contexts on topics including urban and regional development, green transformation, the role of societal planning, management of natural resources, food production, food security and global inequalities.
• System Dynamics develops and uses models to understand complex societal and environmental challenges, including climate, energy, resource use and sustainable transition.
• The Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation (CET) examines how climate change and societal transformation are experienced, communicated and acted upon by individuals, local communities, policymakers and organisations. 
• Ongoing PhD projects study, among other things, climate budgets as governance tools, value chains for electric car batteries, low-carbon energy transition, sea level changes, the role of new technologies in achieving climate goals, small fish in school feeding to reduce malnutrition, and methodological research on the inclusion of human behavior in assessment models.

The department hosts and is closely linked to the Centre for Climate and Energy Transition (CET), an interdisciplinary centre that aims to produce actionable knowledge that can inform policy and practice on how to achieve rapid, equitable and deep societal transition to mitigate climate change. 

The department also has field and analysis equipment at its disposal, including coring equipment for lake sediment sampling, drones, hydrological monitoring equipment and software in geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing.

The research is internationally oriented, with partners on all continents. Several researchers participate in international networks and projects on method development, climate change, energy transition, natural resources management, food security, and global development. Stays abroad and international co-supervision are an integral part of our doctoral training.