This pathway covers some of the most pressing issues of our time. The climate crisis, migration and urbanisation are all re-shaping our world. Meanwhile, vast new digital datasets coupled with computational advancements promise to revolutionise cities, societies, economies, and the social sciences.

This pathway brings together three internationally renowned institutions at the centre of debates in these areas: the Geography departments of UCL and Birkbeck, and UCL’s Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources. Students developing their projects within this pathway benefit from working with world-leading researchers in a highly interdisciplinary environment, with supervisors bringing expertise in geography, economics, development studies, social data science, environmental science, and a variety of other disciplines. Students on the pathway also benefit from unparalleled opportunities to develop a wide range of advanced research and transferable skills. UCL Geography is home to the London NERC DTP and opportunities exist for multidisciplinary projects and skills training which bridges the human and physical sciences.

Pathway researchers are engaged in high impact knowledge exchange activities, creating excellent opportunities for impactful student placements. For example, academics within the pathway are involved in providing support to the UK government on decarbonisation, working with inter-governmental organisations (such as the International Energy Agency and the UN’s International Maritime Organisation), leading the development and analysis of new forms of big data in collaboration with public and private sector bodies (through the ESRC Consumer Data Research Centre), and contributing to international assessments such as the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Prospective applicants should in the first instant contact potential supervisors to discuss project ideas, copying the relevant Team Members and Pathway Leader into correspondence.