School of Geography
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Climate change is resulting in profound, immediate and worsening health impacts, and no country is immune, a major new report, co-authored by University of Melbourne researchers, has declared.
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Artists Katie West and Fayen d'Evie share stories and learnings from their residency on Yorta Yorta and Taungurung country.
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Wiradjuri man and geographer Associate Professor Michael-Shawn Fletcher explores how Indigenous people and knowledge can save Australia’s environmental unravelling
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Professor Head is one of Australia’s leading researchers whose work focusses on human-environment relations, both prehistoric and contemporary.
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Across the global South, governments are investing in skill development and vocational education in order to drive productivity increases and address chronic problems of youth unemployment. This emphasis on skills has been amplified recently, as hopes are being attached to ‘skills-led recoveries’ to the economic downturn associated with Covid-19.
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Associate Professor David Kennedy leads a multi-agency group that is using commercial drone technology and volunteer pilots to map coastal erosion in 3D.
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The ‘hard lockdowns’ of some of Melbourne’s public housing buildings are another example of Australia’s long history of paternalism against public housing tenants
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Timor-Leste is now COVID-19 free, but the ongoing threat of disruption from the pandemic could have longer term impacts on the country
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Geographers don’t just look at maps of where COVID-19 is occurring, they ask why. Looking at the big picture and the factors driving trends can help us to better understand its impact
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As a global community, we must work beyond our national borders to protect threatened species and maintain biodiversity.
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Many Australians blame our variable climate for the recent severe bushfires and crippling drought, but researchers say these ‘natural’ disasters are not natural at all
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Monitoring erosion at our beaches is crucial to formulating strategies to make the coastline more resilient, but it takes a lot of work. Now you can help while enjoying a day at the beach.
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Melbourne Water is wanting to provide support for Honours projects in Geography (note that is a year-long research project) for 2020. Supervision would be with Professor Ian Rutherfurd and Dr Kathryn Russell School of Geography.
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The Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) scheme provides focused research support for early career researchers in both teaching and research, and research-only positions. It supports research in areas of critical national importance by enabling outstanding Australian and international early career researchers to conduct their research in Australia.
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Titled 'Spirit' and filmed in the remote Indian Himalayas, the film picked up multiple awards in New York, Germany and Dehli.
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New research finds ‘freak waves’ don’t really exist and Australia’s experienced rock fishers are the ones who best understand the danger of the ocean’s waves
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On Saturday 27th July, Bruce and Serana Hunt-Hughes, landowners in Violet Town, Victoria, invited local residents and geographers to their property for a weaving grass planting day with Museum Incognita, the 2018–2019 School of Geography Artist in Residence.
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Join the panel to discuss how to shift the narrative for what climate change will be like in Australia and how we can prompt effective action.
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Two students from the Faculty of Science have won a 2019 Chancellor’s Prize for Excellence in PhD Thesis.
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The Geography Postgraduate Society (GPS) have launched The Sites, a monthly podcast designed to communicate research from within and around the school to a generalist audience.
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Museum Incognita will be hosting an Open Studio at the Ian Potter Museum of Art from 27 May - 7 June.
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As a part of GEOG30025/90027 Biogeography & Ecology of Fire, visual artist Heather Hesterman has reported on her experience on a fieldtrip to Tasmania.
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The School of Geography Seminar Series runs on Tuesdays during semester. Find the full series schedule here.
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Professor Lesley Head from the School of Geography and Professor Linda Blackall from the School of BioSciences were on the Australian Academy of Science expert panel that reported that insufficient flows and poor management led to the massive fish kills in the Darling River this summer.
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Although scientific evidence says the Earth is a sphere orbiting the Sun, there are some people around who still think our planet is flat... and social media plays a role
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Join us from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 December for Linda Tegg's Open Studio.
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Registrations open for the Victorian Geographical Student Conference on November 29 to discuss "Frictions in the contemporary world".
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Greater freedom of movement and investments in human rights and social opportunities can help protect humans from environmental threats like rising sea levels, new research says.
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It is with sadness that we learn of the passing of Professor Emeritus Victor Prescott, a respected colleague who has long been a part of the University of Melbourne community.
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Dr Jane Dyson recently featured on BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service programme, From Our Own Correspondent, about the joys of celebrating a 12-day cultural festival, the Pandav Lila, in the Indian Himalayas.
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Call for Applications for Artist in Residence 2018, School of Geography, University of Melbourne
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Considering common practices of image making, School of Geography Artist in Residence, Linda Tegg, suggests that it might be worthwhile to look at what our hands are doing. 6-8pm, 26 March 2018.
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Coastal Geomorphologist Professor David Kennedy was featured in The New Daily article about the RACV’s RoyalAuto magazine running an article about driving along Australian beaches.
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Applications are invited for PhD Projects in the School of Geography at the University of Melbourne.
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The School of Geography at the University of Melbourne is looking for two outstanding scholars for full time PhD scholarships to work on a project that is exploring how new digital technologies are transforming how people work and move in cities.
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The work of Artist in Residence Linda Tegg has featured on the cover of the August-October issue of INSITE magazine.
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Congratulations to third year geography student Eva Whyte who has been awarded a 2017 Miegunyah Student Award by the Ian Potter Museum of Art.
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The Victorian Geographical Student Conference (VGSC) is calling for abstract submissions from Victorian PhD students studying all aspects of geography, both human and physical.
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In the School of Geography we investigate urban, built and natural environments. We strive to understand how they came to be and why they have the characteristics they do. We integrate the physical and social sciences, and make important contributions to creating more just societies and more sustainable environments.
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Courses
Find out about the range of courses available, from undergraduate to PhD.
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Geography Pathways
Use the Geography Pathways tool to help choose subjects aligned with your interests or to identify pathways suited to the subjects you have already taken.
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Scholarships, Awards and Prizes
Explore the Scholarships, Awards and Prizes on offer to support students and research, and recognise outstanding academic achievement.
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Current Students
Get involved with our student societies and find out about our many field trips.
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In the School of Geography we strive to understand how ‘natural’, rural and urban environments came to be and why they have the characteristics they do.
Our research integrates the physical and social sciences, and makes important contributions to creating more just societies and more sustainable environments. Our research strengths contribute well to the University’s Advancing Melbourne strategy’s key areas of focus on Place, Community, Education, Discovery, and Global.
Research clusters
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PhD Projects
Applications are invited for PhD Projects in the School of Geography at the University of Melbourne.
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Current Research Projects & Fellowships
Research projects currently funded and supported by the Australian Research Council and our partners in government, civil society and industry.
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2020 School Seminar Zooms
Watch recorded seminars from the School of Geography.
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Australian community engagement
Engaging with community groups and in public conversations to generate and share knowledge and experiences is central to our geographical practice.
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CoastSnap community beach monitoring in Inverloch
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Settlement Experiences of Humanitarian Migrants
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Adapting to Climate Change
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Community Engagement for Disaster Risk Reduction (CEDRR)
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Disability Housing Futures
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Research leads to support for Mildura’s ‘hidden farmers’
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Top 5 Under 40 Scientist in Residence, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Geography Artist in Residence Program
International engagement
International engagements generating vibrant teaching, research, organisational and community networks underpin our approach to a globally engaged geographical scholarship.
Support Geography
We invite you to be one of our valued philanthropic supporters and be part of the next generation of donors who view research as an investment in the future.
To discuss opportunities to support research, scholarships for students, or early career researchers, please contact Science Advancement – Penny Fairbank, Senior Development Manager: fairbank@unimelb.edu.au or call +61 (0)3 8344 3792.

Welcome!
The School of Geography at the University of Melbourne is embarking on an exciting period of growth. This follows its move into the Science Faculty at the start of 2015, and the recognition there of the importance of Geography’s capacity to work in and across both the social and natural sciences.
At Melbourne you can undertake a Geography major as part of a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts. These lead on to various Masters and PhD programs and a diversity of career opportunities.
Our current areas of world-leading research strength include international development, urbanisation, biogeography and earth surface processes, with an overarching interest in environment and environmental change. We are also embarking on a new specialisation in health geography. An important element of teaching and learning within the School is to acknowledge Indigenous connections to country.
Geography has been taught at the University for more than 50 years (for more on our history, see here). Whether you join our journey as a student, a researcher, a community/industry collaborator, or all three, we look forward to your participation in the next fifty years.
Professor Lesley Head
Head of School