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Institute of Geography

Research areas and focus of the institute

The transformation of metropolitan regions offers challenges and opportunities for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The mission of the Institute of Geography is to advance scientific understanding of the developments and design options of spatial transformation processes in metropolitan regions.

Research and teaching at the Institute of Geography focus on three main areas: Resilient Cities, Smart Cities, and Green and Equitable Cities. These focal areas are addressed in close cooperation among the 12 working groups and across the thematic fields of Human Geography, Physical Geography, Geography Didactics, and Geomatics.
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Current news from the Institute of Geography
02. November 2026 – New ERASMUS Partnership: Studying Geography in Vilnius
Geography students at Ruhr University Bochum can now study in Vilnius thanks to a new Erasmus partnership.
[Read more] GI-News, Studinews
30. Oktober 2026 – Biodiversity is a Priority for European Municipalities
A large environmental survey focuses on municipalities and asks for their approaches to urban green spaces and urban biodiversity. The results, which we have just published in the journal “Nature Cities,” give cause for hope.
[Read more] Urban Ecology and Biodiversity, GI-News
28. Oktober 2026 – Earth observation for society and policy: Institute of Geography at the annual meeting Arbeitskreis Fernerkundung 2026
The Urban Remote Sensing Research Group participated with two talks, a poster and the early career researcher session at the Thünen Institute in Braunschweig.
[Read more] Urban Remote Sensing, GI-News
21. Oktober 2026 – EMJM RePIC Celebrates the Graduation of Its Second Cohort
The Department of Geography at Ruhr University Bochum is delighted to celebrate the graduation of the second cohort of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s programme Redesigning the Post-Industrial City (EMJM RePIC).
[Read more] Energy Geographies, Resource Geographies, East Asian Studies, GI-News, Studinews
21. Oktober 2026 – RePIC Welcome Week 2026: The Institute of Geography Welcomes the New Cohort of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master “Redesigning the Post-Industrial City” to Bochum
The Institute of Geography at Ruhr University Bochum warmly welcomes the new students of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master “Redesigning the Post-Industrial City” (EMJM RePIC) to Bochum.
[Read more] Energy Geographies, Resource Geographies, East Asian Studies, GI-News, Studinews
19. Oktober 2026 – Moth Course at the Botanical Garden
Dr. Armin Jagel demonstrates to students at the RUB Botanical Garden how to map nocturnal insects, with a focus on moths.
[Read more] Urban Ecology and Biodiversity, GI-News, Studinews
15. Oktober 2026 – Research Forum Programm
The RePIC Urban Sustainability Transformations Research Forum will take place in the winter term 2026/27 and focuses on current questions of sustainable, resilient and smart urban transformations.
[Read more] GI-News, Studinews
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