Welcome to the Department of Geography at UConn
Geography Curriculum Info
Studying Geography at UConn
Major or Minor in Geographic Information Science
Courses being offered in the Spring 2024 semester which count towards the GISc major and minor include:
- Geog 2500: Intro to GIS
- Geog 2505: Applications of GIS
- Geog 3500: Geographic Data Analysis
- Geog 4230: GIS & Remote Sensing for Geoscience Applications
- Geog 4518: Mobile GIS
- Geog 4519: Spatial Big Data Analytics
Notable Geography News
- Two UConn Geographers on World’s Top 2% Scientists List, 2023Posted on December 4, 2023
- Human Mobility Study Redefines Impact of Food EnvironmentsPosted on November 20, 2023
- Creating a More Just and Equitable Future, TogetherPosted on August 23, 2023
Employment Opportunities at UConn Geography
Faculty Searches
Assistant Professor in Indigenous Geographies, Feminist Indigenous Studies, and Climate Justice
The Department of Geography and the Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies (WGSS) Program at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in Storrs invites applications for a full-time tenure track Assistant Professor position beginning in August 2024 in the interdisciplinary area of Indigenous Geographies, Feminist Indigenous Studies, and Climate Justice. This position will enhance or expand the current research and teaching strengths of the Geography Department and WGSS in feminist political ecology, climate science, environmental change, water sciences, anti-colonial and critical geographies of race, spatial science, health geographies, and/or urban geographies. We seek candidates who have research expertise in Indigenous geographies and center Indigenous knowledge, epistemologies, and methods in their research and teaching. This thematic area bridges recent cluster hires in CLAS on antiracism and environment-human interactions and builds capacity in the recently established Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) unit. The scholar hired in this area will have the opportunity to engage with faculty hired in the clusters on antiracism and environment-human interactions as well as more senior faculty working on Indigenous issues.
More info can be found here: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/26472
Assistant, Associate or Full Professor (GeoAI) in Geography
The Department of Geography at the University of Connecticut seeks a full-time, 9-month tenure-track position at the assistant, associate, or full professor levels to join a cluster hire in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AL/ML): Understanding and Addressing Natural and Climate Change-Related Disasters. We seek a colleague who can holistically utilize Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) technologies and methods for addressing issues related to climate-related hazards and risk. Areas of research and teaching focus may entail (but are not limited to) social dimensions of climate extremes and disaster risk, including risk governance, exposure, risk mitigation, disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. We expect the candidate to be capable of employing cutting-edge GeoAI technologies, such as deep learning, high-performance computing, virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR), big data visualization, and multidimensional data analysis. This search is with hires in Earth Sciences, Economics, Geography, Journalism, and Statistics. The cluster will engage the role of AI/ML in understanding the scientific underpinnings of natural and human-induced environmental risk, human dimensions of hazards and risk mitigation, the economic impacts of these hazards, and meaningful public engagement.
More info can be found here: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/26486.
Recruiting Graduate Students
Two Ph.D. Positions in Geospatial Assessments of Environmental Exposure/Health
The GeoHealth Lab in the Department of Geography at the University of Connecticut is seeking two PhD students interested in Geospatial Assessments of Environmental Exposure/Health to begin in Fall 2024. The successful candidates will conduct interdisciplinary research that seeks to understand how places, travel behaviors, and daily activities influence personal exposure to environmental factors that affect health using GIS, geospatial technologies, and/or wearable sensors. Click HERE for more information or email Dr. Yoo Min Park at youmin.park@uconn.edu with questions and clarifications.
Geography at UConn is hiring PhD students with interest in geospatial data science, digital cartography, participatory GIS, and health disparities from Spring 2024 and Fall 2024
Project Title: Multidimensional Structural Racism and Moderating Role of Psychosocial Resources on cancer-control Behaviors in African Americans. Click here for details. Funding Agency: National Institute of Health. Project PI and PhD Advisor: Debs Ghosh. Contact at debarchana.ghosh@uconn.edu with your CV.
Alumni Spotlight
- Shamayeta Bhattacharya (PhD summer 2022) accepted an Assistant Professor position at Point Park University.
- Zhijie “JJ” Zhang (PhD summer 2022) has accepted a postdoc position with the University of Arizona.
- Mary Buchanan (PhD 2021) is a Community Resilience Planner at the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA).
- Diane Benbella (PhD 2021) is a Research Development Assistant with UConn’s OVPR Department.
- Conner Dickes (BA 2018) is a GIS Analyst at SLR Consulting.
- Taylor Price (MA 2022) is an Assistant Planner at the County of Monterey, CA.
- Sungmin Jang (PhD 2022) accepted a postdoctoral DPAA Research Partner Fellow in the Department of Geography at Florida State University.
Recent Graduate Student Publications
BenBella, Diane & Ghosh, D. 2021. Combining Geospatial Analysis with HIV Care Continuum to Identify Differential HIV/AIDS Treatment Indicators in Uganda. The Professional Geographer.
Barocci, Antonio. 2020. Political arrests of women under fascism: gender and the special tribunal in Italy 1926–1928. GeoJournal.
Adams, Aaron., Li, W., Zhang, C., & Chen, X. 2020. The disguised pandemic: the importance of data normalization in COVID-19 web mapping. Public Health.
Terbeck, Fabian. 2020. Defining Suburbs: An Evaluation and Comparison of Four Methods. The Professional Geographer.
Other Outstanding Alumni
Caroline Mazo, class of 2018, is a Physical Scientist at the US Geological Survey.
Tara Schwenzfeier, class of 2018, is a GIS Analyst at ForeFlight, a Boeing company.
Nick Lacafta, class of 2016, is a Technical Records Coordinator at the University of Connecticut.
Stefanie Walker, MA class of 2015, is a Senior Catastrophe Risk Consultant at Travelers Insurance.
Amy DellaGuistina, class of 2014, is an Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability Senior Associate at Amgen.
Keep in touch with UConn Geography!
UConn Geography Alumni Award Recipients
2023: Jeanne Thibeault, PhD '10, Climate scientist, adjunct professor (retired).
2022: Julie Annino, PhD '02, Senior Transportation Engineer, CT Dept of Transportation
2021: Patrick Heidkamp, MA '03, PhD '07, Professor, Southern CT State University
2019: Todd Dumais, BA '03, Town Planner, City of West Hartford
2018: Richard Annitto, BA '85, Vice President, GIS and Survey Division, LiRo Group
2017: Ben Spaulding, PhD '10, Catastrophe Risk Manager, Homesite Group
2016: Patrice Carson, BA '82, Consulting Director of Community Development, Town of Bolton
2015: Tyler Kleykamp, BA '00, Chief Data Officer, Connecticut State Office of Policy and Management