Department of Geography at the University of Bonn
The Department of Geography at the University of Bonn is part of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and belongs to the Department of Earth Sciences. Our research and teaching covers almost the entire spectrum of Geography, which guarantees the necessary breadth in an interdisciplinary study program.
The Department of Geography has a rich history that spans more than 140 years of teaching and research. It is the largest and one of the most distinguished Geography departments in Germany.
It has 15 independent research groups that encompass a wide variety of geographical topics. Our research is organized around eight research clusters within three main research areas: Water, Risk and Geomatics. Geomorphology, Hydrology, Development Geography and Remote Sensing are just a few examples of our wide choice of research clusters in Human and Physical Geographies. Each of our research fields is managed by one or more professors in the department. This enables us to provide our students with a high quality and unique education, especially if they wish to choose an interdisciplinary or applied study-approach.
“It's really difficult and depressing to keep reading and researching about how people and ecosystems are suffering from climate change,” says Prof. Dr. Lisa Schipper from the Department of Geographical Development Research at the University of Bonn. As a scientist, she was involved in the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Now, in a commentary in the renowned journal “Nature Climate Change”, she argues that science also needs discussions about emotions. We asked Lisa Schipper about this.
Our first stop on the bus journey from Nairobi to Nanyuki was on the edge of the East African Rift Valley with a misty view of Mt Longonot. A place that most geography students only know from their introductory lectures as a prime example of the formation of rift valleys and the shifting of tectonic plates. But the field school we attend is not just about looking at landscapes or observing the structures of cities, it's about practising how to do research in the field.
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the University of Bonn have renewed their partnership, reinforcing their commitment to leveraging space technology in response to growing threats from natural and human-made disasters. This five-year agreement, signed today in Vienna, extends the "Spaceborne Earth Observation Applications for Emergency Response and Disaster Risk Reduction" (SPEAR) project, focusing on African nations. Head of the SPEAR II project is Prof. Klaus Greve from the Department of Geography, who retired in 2023.
The Violence Protection Working Group has developed a guideline for dealing with gender sensitivity and violence protection in courses with overnight stays, which will initially be implemented for one year from the summer semester 2025.
The Department of Geography on Social Media
The Department of Geography is active on different social media portals. Please use the following links to get directly on our profiles.
Links to other important institutions
Directly connected with the Department of Geography at the University of Bonn are the Fachschaft Geographie, the Geographical Society of Bonn and the Geoverbund ABC/J.
