Geography
There is a long tradition of rigorous graduate research in Geography at the University of Sydney as the former Department of Geography, now part of the School of Geosciences, was the first in Australia. Research in geography can be undertaken in human, social and economic areas; in environmental geography and in geomorphology. The University of Sydney Institute of Marine Science (USIMS) draws research and technical expertise from throughout the School (geography, geology and geophysics).
University of Sydney Advantage
Geography staff at the University of Sydney are active researchers in their various fields, with linkages to government departments and instrumentalities; and other universities and research institutes, both within Australia and overseas (especially South East Asia and the Pacific region, but also North America and Europe). International postgraduates in recent years have come from Thailand, Laos, Nepal, Vietnam, Iran, Germany, Tonga, Indonesia and Cambodia.
Facilities
The School is well equipped for research in most fields of geography. The geographic facilities include computer laboratories, sediment and water quality laboratories, field vehicles, and boats for river and in-shore data collection. Modern Geographic Information System (GIS) facilities enable the combined computer analysis of satellite imagery, aerial photographs and map data. GIS facilities are based upon fully featured workstations linked with Arc-Info and IDRISI.
Areas of Research
The School's areas of research include, but are not limited to:
- the globalisation of food and agriculture, the economic geography of trade and production systems in agri-food industries, and their social and economic impacts for farmers, rural communities and food security
- spatial and urban change in contemporary Australia - analysis of economic and population changes across the cities and regions of Australia, with emphasis on equity issues and cultural transformations
- cities and citizenship - the implications of contemporary urbanisation processes for rights to the city, and the politics of urban governance
- sustainable cities - exploring the application of sustainable development to cities, their hinterlands and other areas affected by urban processes. This research includes urban planning history, population, transport, industrial ecology and urban agriculture
- coastal management - the application of knowledge of coastal processes and response to the management of coastal systems, including use of advanced GIS techniques to enable prediction and environmental reconstruction through combined use of field data and computer modelling with the application of formal methods for managing uncertainty, relevant to coastal management and coastal impacts of climate change, geological exploration, and morphodynamics of sand islands on coral atolls
- environmental change in the Australian quaternary, history of European environmental impact in Australia, contaminant histories, development and management of dryland salinity
- impact of tourism on cultural heritage in arid Australia - deterioration assessment and management of visitors and their impacts
- GIS - the exploration of spatial and temporal patterns in understanding physical and human environments. Fundamental questions relating to the application of GIS include the representation of spatial landscapes, handling data uncertainty, and decision support
- geomorphology - karst geomorphology and sedimentology; glacial sedimentology and stratigraphy; formation and persistence of desert varnish on rock surfaces in arid Australia and implications for surface exposure dating; fire intensity, bioturbation and rates of runoff and sediment transfer in post-fire, humid zone landscapes
- fluvial geomorphology - runoff and erosion processes in semiarid environments; dynamics of river networks including channel changes with time and bedform evolution; impacts of animals on fluvial systems; channel hydrology; computer modelling of the fluvial environment
- weathering processes - the nature and rate of deterioration of (mainly) sandstone buildings/ structures/ monuments in urban environments, including visitor-generated impacts
- water and river basin development in the Mekong region - catchment management processes; approaches to vulnerability and risk in infrastructure development; political ecology of river basins
- human impact on the environment - impacts of dams; impacts of deforestation; protected area management
- Asia Pacific development - with strong regional expertise in the Mekong region, Indonesia and the South Pacific
- Indigenous resources rights and mining companies - analysis of negotiation processes and socioeconomic outcomes of resource projects in Australia and the Pacific
Academic Programs offered
- Honours
- Graduate Diploma in Science (GradDipSc)
- Master of Science (MSc)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)