6 research groups - 1 department
The Institute of Geography and Spatial Research offers a broad spectrum of research activities. With two research groups each in the field of physical geography and human geography and two further research groups for geospatial technologies (GST) and for the didactics of geography and socio-economic education, many research directions are covered and at the same time specialized research is carried out at an international level. The Institute uses different research approaches and methods to investigate spatial structures and processes at local, regional and global scales. As a subject with a focus on both the natural sciences (physical geography) and the social sciences and humanities (human geography), we are particularly concerned with human-environment relations and relationships in the sense of integrative geography.
Thematic focuses of our institute include mountain and polar research, research on climate change and its effects on landscape, water and society, research on sustainability in urban and regional development and research on the spatial organization of the exchange of goods between production and consumption, particularly in the area of nutrition. Regional research focuses primarily on the immediate vicinity of the university (Styria), the Alpine region, Central and South-Eastern Europe, North America and the Arctic. The research activities at our institute are closely networked with many research partners at national, European and international level.