Geobyte - news updates for geographers

RGS-IBG news - Journals: New Virtual Issue and latest editions of The Geographical Journal and Area

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:26:03 +0100

A free Virtual Issue of the RGS-IBG journals has been created online on the Annual Conference theme of ‘New geographical frontiers’. Guest edited by Conference Chair Jonathan Rigg (Durham University), the issue is available at www.rgs.org/FrontiersVI.

The June 2013 issue of Area has been published online, including a special section on ‘Religious geopolitics’ guest edited by Tristan Sturm (York University, Canada).

Access the full issue online

The June 2013 issue of The Geographical Journal has also been published online, including a themed section on ‘Global environmental in/justice, in practice’ guest edited by Adrian Martin (UEA).

Access the full issue online

Vacancy - Senior Lecturer/Lecturer in Human Geography at Northumbria University

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:55 +0100

Salary range: SL: £37,382 - £45,941; L: £32,267 - £36,298
Ref: EAE12/23

The Geography Department is looking to further strengthen the Human Geography research group and candidates with expertise in social justice, critical understandings of socio-economic development, or emotional geographies are particularly encouraged to apply. The Department has a growing reputation for innovative methodologies in Human Geography, including visual methods and participatory approaches to research praxis, and we welcome candidates who prioritise public engagement and social change in research and teaching.

The successful candidate will have a sound knowledge and appreciation of the content and theory of a recognised sub-area of Human Geography. You will provide expertise to further enhance research, teaching and entrepreneurial activities. This will include designing, developing and delivering high quality teaching activities, undertaking individual and joint research to produce quality academic outputs and inform teaching and participating in external activity to generate income and promote the subject.

You must hold a first degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline and have subject expertise in Human Geography. You will have excellent communication skills and good interpersonal skills, to join a collegiate Department with a thriving undergraduate and growing postgraduate community. Proven ability to deliver high quality research led teaching within an appropriate field and a publication profile to enable submission in the forthcoming REF are essential. You must have (or be close to completing) a doctoral level qualification.

Informal enquiries to: Dr Jane Entwistle, Head of Department, 0191 227 3017 or Professor John Woodward (Director of Research), 0191 227 3048.

More information

Selection dates: 9-10 July 2013

Deadline: 14 June 2013

Vacancy - Lectureships in Sustainability at Lancaster University

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:49 +0100

Lancaster Environment Centre is making a major investment in Sustainability Science by creating up to four Lectureships with an emphasis on social and inter-disciplinary science. Ideal candidates will apply social science approaches to sustainability research in a way that addresses the interactions between natural and social systems and identifies pathways to meeting human needs and dignity whilst conserving the planet’s life-support systems. You will contribute to undergraduate teaching in Human Geography and other LEC programmes such as Ecology and Conservation and Environmental Science. You will also help develop a distinctive and internationally-leading post-graduate programme to advance education and training in Sustainability.

More information (Reference: A716)

Deadline: Thursday 20 June 2013

Vacancy - Three Lectureships in Human Geography at Queen's University Belfast

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:42 +0100

Applications are invited for three full-time lectureships in Human Geography in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast, which has been ranked among the top 100 in the world for Geography (QS World Rankings 2013).

The successful applicants will contribute to the research programme of the Society, Space and Culture Research Cluster and to the School’s teaching and administration/outreach activities. Applications are welcome from persons with research interests in any aspect of Human Geography but preference may be given to those whose research focuses on (i) the geographies of science and society, (ii) political geography or (iii) population studies and who will complement or enhance the research activities of the Society, Space and Culture Research Cluster.

Anticipated interview date: Thursday 4 and Friday 5 July 2013.

Further information/application procedure on the posts

Deadline: Thursday 20 June 2013

Event - 2013 CHES AGM: Technology Enhanced Learning for GEES

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:18 +0100

Date: 4-5 July 2013
Location: Open University, Milton Keynes

This conference, arranged by the Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences (CHES) in association with the Higher Education Academy (HEA), will explore the use of Technology Enhanced Learning for Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. The focus will be on Higher Education and the aim will be to share methods and experiences of developing and using technologies for enhancing teaching and learning in the GEES subject areas.

Specifically, the conference will address:

Online Practical Science
Technology Enhanced Learning and Assessment for Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Technology Enhanced Learning for Fieldwork

Provisional Programme

Thursday 4 July 2013

Online Practical Science: achieving authentic on-screen and online science
Workshop: the possibilities and challenges of online science
Plenary
Conference social and dinner

Friday 5 July 2013

Technology Enhanced Learning : Teaching for GEES subjects
Technology Enhanced Learning : Online assessment and marking
Technology Enhanced Learning in the Field : Opportunities and challenges of using technology in fieldwork learning

£250 residential delegate (all events, accommodation, all refreshments, lunches and conference dinner)
£165 delegates not requiring accommodation.
20% discount for early bird booking (before 14 June 2013)

More information, including how to register

Event - Mali In Transition Conference

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:13 +0100

Date: 29-30 May 2013
Location: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

Mali In Transition

Organised by the Centre of African Studies and SOAS, University of London, with the support of the MBI Al Jaber Foundation, ASA-UK and Goldsmiths’ College, this conference aims to provide an interdisciplinary and research-based platform to Africanists from Europe, Africa and the USA, to initiate a debate about the causes of the present political and humanitarian crisis in Mali, but also its impact on the country’s social and cultural diversity.

The four panels will focus on the following themes:

Interdisciplinary perspectives on the crisis
Emergency crisis and impact of humanitarian action
Heritage and conservation
Historical perspectives and future scenarios

More information, including how to register

Vacancy - Postdoctoral Research Assistants at University College London

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:25:01 +0100

Three post-doctoral research assistants are sought to work on a three year project starting 1 November 2013 on an EPSRC/ESRC/AHRC funded project in the Design for Wellbeing programme: ‘Street mobility and accessibility: developing tools for overcoming older people’s barriers to walking’. Community severance occurs when transport infrastructure or the speed and/or volume of traffic stops people accessing goods, services, and/or people. It was described in the early 1970s and has been assumed to impact adversely on health but this has been studied very little. One problem with researching the subject is the lack of measurements to assess severance. This project will develop tools to measure community severance at the area and individual level that can then be used by communities, local authorities, and researchers.

One will work primarily with Dr Jenny Mindell in the Health and Social Surveys Research Group of the Dept of Epidemiology & Public Health. This researcher will be responsible for developing and testing a questionnaire to assess severance and its effects on wellbeing, social networks, and travel.

A second will work in the Centre for Transport Studies with Prof Peter Jones, based in the Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering Faculty; a third will work on space syntax with Prof Laura Vaughan, based in the Bartlett School in the Faculty of the Built Environment.

The project is designed to be trans-disciplinary, with all three RAs involved in each aspect of the fieldwork. Interviews will be held on 8 and 9 July 2013.

Further details (search for Research Associate: Street Mobility and Accessibility)

Deadline for applications: 17 June 2013

PhD Studentship on Citizenship at Loughborough University

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:24:35 +0100

Applications are invited for a three-year full time PhD studentship on ‘Youth Citizenship, Sport and Community Development’, commencing October 2013.

Supervisors: Dr Sarah Mills (Department of Geography, School of Social, Political and Geographical Sciences) and Professor Alan Bairner (School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences).

Whilst research on citizenship in geography and the social sciences is burgeoning, the role of sport in fostering connections to the local, national and global scale has been under-researched. Furthermore, there is a salient belief within government policies and popular discourses that sport can encourage strong relationships between young people and their local communities, the nation and beyond.

This project seeks to critically explore these connections between youth citizenship, sport and community development through examining responses to recent and future multi-scalar sporting events, related cultural activities and athletes. In doing so, the research contributes to academic debates within geography, social theory and sport science on the ways in which ‘the nation’ is performed or ‘imagined’ in and through sports-related activities and represented through key individuals and events. Significantly, the project aims to examine how young people develop or negotiate their understandings of local, national and global citizenship through their relationship with sport.

Applicants should have a good first degree. An MSc is also highly desirable. In addition, applicants should have excellent oral and written communication skills, as well as confidence in qualitative research methods.

The studentship provides a tax free stipend of £13,726 per annum for a period of three years plus tuition fees at the full time UK/EU rate. Due to funding restrictions, the studentships are open to UK and EU applicants only. Candidates should use the reference GSS13 on the application form for the ‘funding’ section.

Informal enquiries about the project should be made to Dr Sarah Mills.

Information about the application process

Deadline for applications: Wednesday 12 June 2013

PhD Studentship at Royal Holloway, University of London

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:23:57 +0100

A fully-funded AHRC Ph.D. studentship is available to work with the Department of Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London and the Science Museum (London) on a project entitled “Building an Empire: Corporate Vision and the Global Geographies of Infrastructure”.

Full details of the project and the application procedure

Deadline: 5 June 2013

PhD Studentship on 'The Big Society' at Loughborough University

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:23:36 +0100

Supervisors: Dr Daniel Sage (Research Centre for Professional Work and Society, School of Business and Economics) and Prof. Karen O’Reilly (Department of Social Sciences, School of Social, Political and Geographical Sciences).

‘The Big Society’: Does Voluntary Work Build Stronger Communities?

Applications are invited for the above studentship commencing 1 October 2013. The graduate school studentship provides a stipend of £13,726 p.a. plus tuition fees at the UK/EU rate for up to three years (full-time only). Due to funding restrictions, this studentship is open to UK and EU applicants only.

Since 2010 the UK government have promoted voluntary work as a necessary ingredient of the success of the ‘The Big Society’ policy. Under this initiative voluntary work is promoted to support community integration, well-being, and prosperity. This project seeks to examine the challenges and potential of these efforts. Contributing to debates in the sociologies of work, communities and organisations, as well as social policy and human geography, the research will explore whether this recent state-directed push for voluntary work is building stronger communities, or is it a symptom, even cause, of ever-greater social exclusion and injustice? Through a range of qualitative research methodologies, including ethnography, the project will consider how individuals, social groups, and a range of organisations, are responding to, and being shaped by, the recent prioritization, even quasi-professionalisation, of voluntarism within social policy.

Applicants will have a good first degree in a relevant social science discipline. An MSc/MA postgraduate degree in a related field is also highly desirable. Applicants should have excellent oral and written presentation skills, and experience with qualitative research methods.

Apply for the studentship

Candidates should use the reference GSS13 on the application form for the ‘funding’ section. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview, foreseen to take place soon after the closing date for applications.

Informal enquiries about the project should be made to Dr Daniel Sage.

Deadline for applications: Wednesday 12 June 2013

Vacancy - Two Lectureships in Human Geography at Durham University

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:39:32 +0100

The Department of Geography is seeking to appoint two full-time Lecturers in Human Geography from 1 September or 1 October 2013. The post-holders will undertake high quality research, will provide excellent teaching across a range of modules and will contribute to the administration of the Department. Research and teaching interests in the Global South is an essential requirement for one of the posts.

For further information about the post please contact Professor Joe Painter (telephone: 0191 3341906).

Further information and how to apply (reference number: 2672)

Deadline for applications: 31 May 2013

Vacancy - Teaching Fellow at Newcastle University

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:39:30 +0100

The Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, at Newcastle University, invites applications for a fixed-term Teaching Fellow post to support the teaching of local and regional development and economic geography.

Interested applicants should possess expertise in the fields of local and regional development and/or economic geography, and will be expected to contribute to research-led teaching across the undergraduate curriculum (including lectures, seminars, UK and overseas residential field courses. Applicants should have a PhD or be close to completion, and have relevant teaching experience.

This post is fixed-term for up to 10 months and available from September 2013.

Full details

Informal enquiries may be made to the Director of CURDS, Professor Andy Pike (tel: +44 (0)191 222 8011).

Deadline for applications: 22 May 2013

Vacancy - Quantitative Research Assistant/Associate at University of Glasgow

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:39:27 +0100

College of Social Sciences
School of Political and Social Sciences

This post offers you the opportunity to be at the cutting edge of research on segregation. As part of a major research project, you will help develop new measures of segregation, and deepen our understanding of its causes and consequences.

You will work with Professor Gwilym Pryce, Co-Director of the ESRC funded Applied Quantitative Methods Network (AQMEN) Research Centre and leader of the Urban Segmentation and Inequality Research Project (USIRP)to develop socio-economic models necessary for completion of USIRP. You will collate, clean and link data (including visits to secure data settings as required) and construct statistical, econometric and simulation models as required. Liaising and collaborating with members of USIRP, AQMEN and other stakeholders, you will attend meetings and participate in training, mainly in Glasgow and Edinburgh. You will participate actively in relevant research groups, particularly the Glasgow Social Statistics Group (GSSG) and the Housing and Urban Economics Research Group (HUERG).

A good first degree or equivalent (upper second class or first class honours) in a quantitative discipline (e.g. economics, statistics, geography) is essential, as is extensive knowledge of applied statistical methods (particularly regression analysis), and of writing syntax files in appropriate software (preferably Stata or R). For appointment as a Research Associate, you will have a PhD and extensive research experience. Interest in issues of urban segmentation, residential sorting, spatial inequality and the implications for society and the economy will be highly relevant. Self-motivated with good time management you will have the ability to work unsupervised where necessary.

Interviews will be held during the week commencing 24 June 2013.

Further information and how to apply (Ref: 003727)

Deadline for applications: 7 June 2013

Survey - Doctoral impact and careers tracking study

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:39:21 +0100

The UK funding councils and RCUK have commissioned research consultancy CFE to carry out a study of PhD graduates to examine their career pathways, their impact in employment, and how their skills contribute to innovation and growth.

As part of this work, doctoral graduates from 2003-04 to 2005-06 are invited to take part in an impact and careers survey which will be open until 31 May 2013.

The aim is to improve understanding of the impact of doctoral training over the medium to long-term. Questions focus on the importance of research skills and expertise developed during doctoral training in gaining employment; the extent to which the doctoral degree experience enabled graduates to progress towards their long-term career aspirations; the relevance and importance of their doctoral training in contributing to key activities in their roles.

Access the survey online

Survey - The GEES good practice guide on student transitions to, through and out of university

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:39:17 +0100

Update: The deadline for responding to this survey has been extended.

Teaching-related innovations are often hidden within institutions and are rarely shared between them. As a result, many of us spend our time reinventing the wheel. This is all well and good, but imagine how much time we could save by pooling our ideas, while also providing educational innovators with a platform to shout about the good work they are doing.

Lead by Dr Simon Tate and Prof Peter Hopkins at Newcastle University, the GEES subject centre of the Higher Education Academy is currently researching practical examples of good practice designed to support undergraduate and postgraduate students’ transitions to, through and out of university. Once collected, these examples will be collated into a guide disseminated to all GEES higher education departments. Would you be willing to share what you consider to be examples of good practice in your department for inclusion in the guide? If so, please download the (short) form available online and return it to Sean Gill by 28 May 2013.

Exhibition - No More Elsewhere

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:39:13 +0100

Date: 17 May - 16 June 2013
Location: Danielle Arnaud contemporary art, 123 Kennington Road, London, SE11 6SF

Private View: Friday 17 May 2013, 6-9pm
Closing Event: Sunday 16 June 2013, 3pm, Performative Lecture by Polly Gould (booking essential)

The works in No More Elsewhere present a series of interpretations derived from the encounter with the continent of Antarctica through the watercolours, drawings and writings of explorer Edward Wilson (1872-1912). Wilson was one of the fated members of the Scott party who died on their return from their failed quest to be first to the South Pole. The freezing conditions of Antarctica make painting watercolours challenging, with even one’s own breath coating the paper with a layer of ice. In works using pencil drawing, watercolour on paper and painting on sand-blasted glass, free-blown and moulded glass, and the light of a magic lantern, Polly Gould explores some of the paradox of attempting to use watercolour in a sub-zero conditions and the challenge of representing this frozen continent.

More information

Event - Future Earth UK Town meeting

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:39:08 +0100

Date: Friday 21 June 2013, 9am-5pm
Location: The Royal Society and the British Academy

Members of the research, public sector, private sector and civil society communities are invited to a UK Town Hall Meeting on the Future Earth initiative, hosted by The Royal Society and The British Academy . The meeting is for researchers and users of research outputs to discover more about the new Future Earth initiative led by the International Council for Science in collaboration with the International Social Science Council.

Future Earth is a 10-year international research venture that will develop the knowledge for responding effectively to the risks and opportunities of global environmental change and for supporting transformation towards global sustainability in the coming decades. In addressing this challenge, Future Earth seeks to develop the knowledge required for societies worldwide to face challenges posed by global environmental change and to identify and implement solutions and opportunities for a transition to global sustainability. Future Earth must answer fundamental questions about how and why the global environment is changing, what are likely future changes, what are the implications for humans and other species, and what are the opportunities that reduce risks and vulnerabilities, enhance resilience, and create prosperous and equitable futures.

Event - The Persistence of Segregation in the 21st Century American Metropolis

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:39:06 +0100

Date: 12 June 2013, 3.30-5pm (free entry)
Location: Birkbeck College, University of London, Malet St, WC1E 7HX

Segregation is increasingly central to British and European discussions about ethnicity, integration and place. What can be learnt from America, which has a longer history of immigration and residential segregation? Professor John Logan, one of America’s foremost experts on historical and contemporary patterns of American segregation, references a current American debate in which some claim we are at the “end” of a century of segregation. Professor Logan explains why he believes this is erroneous. He also places this debate in the context of the experience of European immigrant groups in American cities a century earlier. Professor Logan contrasts these European immigrants’ eventual spatial assimilation with contemporary America, where relatively strong and enduring ethnic boundaries divide the major ethno-racial groups.

John Logan is Professor of Sociology at Brown University.

More information

Five multidisciplinary PhD studentships available at University College London

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:38:51 +0100

Applications are invited for five PhD studentships in the ESRC Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) at University College London (UCL). UCL is one of the world’s leading research universities, dedicated to developing, disseminating and applying original knowledge to transform society and benefit the world of the future. The studentships are designed to promote collaboration across disciplines and offer training in social sciences in combination with geomatic, environmental and civil engineering. The studentships cover funding for four years to accommodate some additional multidisciplinary training requirements. The start date of the studentships is 23 September 2013.

The studentships will entail the use of quantitative methods to better understand urban sustainability and resilience. A novel aspect of the scheme is that each project will involve a major retail organisation (such as Barclays, Boots, the Co-Operative Group, John Lewis, Sainsbury or Tesco) alongside a primary research supervisor from the social sciences and a second supervisor drawn from geomatic, environmental or civil engineering.

Further background is available for this novel new Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) – including indicative research projects, as well as other details about ESRC’s work with the retail sector under the ‘Retail Research and Data’ scheme.

Applicants should have a Master’s degree in a relevant area and a first or good upper second class undergraduate degree. Applicants must be eligible for ESRC funding. Applications will be evaluated on the academic strength of the candidates and the match between the candidate and the available projects and supervisors. Degree qualifications gained from outside the UK, or a combination of qualifications and/or experience that is equivalent to a relevant UK degree, may be accepted. EU applicants may only be eligible for fees-only funding.

Financial remuneration will be in line with current ESRC guidelines. Full awards consist of a tax-free enhanced maintenance stipend of £15,726, a London Weighting allowance of £2,000, and payment of the fees for MPhil/PhD enrolment at UCL. Fees-only awards only cover the fees for MPhil/PhD enrolment.

If you are interested in applying, please email your CV and a one-page cover letter to Professor Paul Longley. Your cover letter should include confirmation that you have confirmed your eligibility for an ESRC tuition fees award and (if appropriate) a maintenance stipend. Queries about the studentships should be directed to the same email address.

Interviews will be held in the week commencing 1 July 2013

Deadline for applications: 14 June 2013

PhD Studentships available in the School of Planning and Geography at Cardiff University

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:38:46 +0100

There are 4 fully funded PhD studentships available to UK and EU applicants at the School of Planning and Geography at Cardiff University. Three of the studentships are jointly funded by the ESRC and the Cardiff University Presidents Scholarship scheme in the area of Food and City Regions.

Further details on the studentships

The fourth studentship is funded by the ESRC and is not subject specific.

Further details on the ESRC studentship

Deadline for all applications: 4pm on Wednesday 22 May 2013