Department of Environmental, Social and Spatial Change

The Department of Environmental, Social and Spatial Change, established in 2006, conducts research and education in a wide range of topics related to interactions between humans and their environmental, social and spatial conditions. The Department takes a holistic approach to solving complex environmental and societal problems and derives its strength from the integration of traditional disciplines to provide novel perspectives - and solutions - to these problems. The scope of the department is intentionally broad, exploring environmental and human dynamics over a range of temporal (past, present and future) and spatial (local, regional and global) scales.

Research in the Department is organised around a variety of thematic areas, in a structure that encourages interdisciplinary and flexible collaboration. Present focus areas include population and ecosystem ecology, environmental planning and governance, mobility, tourism and transport, regional planning and development, urban studies, the workplace environment, landscape science, environmental history, cultural identity, sustainable foods and renewable energy. However, new constellations of interdisciplinary groups are expected to form as needs and opportunities arise.  An important priority for the Department is strengthening relationships with public and private stakeholders; and collaborative activities with partners in industry, sector research institutions, regional organisations, NGOs and international bodies are strongly encouraged.

The Department actively strives to match its educational programmes to the present and future needs of the job market, and the number of foreign students in our programmes is steadily increasing. The Department hosts Bachelors' and Masters' programmes in Environmental Biology, Geography, and Technological & Socioeconomic Planning, as well as dedicated combinations of these programmes. The Department also offers an International Masters Programme in ‘Environmental Policy and the Global Challenge - International, Regional and Local Perspectives', a Masters' Programme in ‘Cultural Planning', a Diploma Programme for Tourist Guides and a new educational programme in Health Promotion and Health Strategies. Finally, the department is host to the national Ph.D. school, GESS (Graduate School of Environmental Stress Studies; www.ruc.dk/gess) and the Graduate School of Technology and Society and is partner in the Ph.D.-programme in Business, Society and Globalization (http://www.ruc.dk/ssc/forskning/phd/phd_society/)

Facilities available at the Department include: a Quaternary Dating Facility, funded by a 12 million Dkr grant from the VILLUM KANN RASMUSSEN Foundation and the only one of its kind in Denmark; a state-of-the-art GIS facility, related to a comprehensive spatial data archive covering both current and historical data; a map laboratory; a pollen analysis laboratory; analytical laboratories (equipped e.g., for element, nutrient and HPLC analyses); climate-controlled rooms; and a laboratory for soil analyses. The Department also has access to Roskilde University's two field stations, located on the shores of the Isefjord (www.ruc.dk/inst1/forstudents/fieldstations/).