University of Glasgow: UofG GEOGRAPHER IS HONOURED BY ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY (WITH IBG)
Professor Christopher Philo, UofG’s Professor of Geography in the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, has been awarded the Society’s Victoria Medal, which recognises outstanding geographical scholarship, specifically for his promotion and contribution to research in health, social and cultural geographies.
Professor Philo said: “This is a wonderful honour and I am deeply thankful to the wider geographical community for seeing me as a fitting recipient of the Victoria Medal. To be acknowledged for my ‘outstanding geographical scholarship’ is particularly gratifying, not least because I believe such scholarship to be essential for crafting a critical but compassionate grasp of our planet’s complex human-environmental story, past, present and future.”
The Victoria Medal is part of a series of awards that recognise extraordinary achievement in geographical research, fieldwork, teaching, policy, and public engagement.
This year the Society’s medals and awards recognise 23 different people or organisations for their outstanding contributions to geography.
Among other recipients are: Andy Eavis, Chair of the British Caving Association, and Dr Rita Gardner CBE, Chief Executive of the Academy of Social Sciences, who both have been awarded Royal Medals; photographer, David Coulson, is awarded the Cherry Kearton Medal and Award for the unparalleled documentation of Africa’s remote rock art sites; Dr Emma Mawdsley is awarded the Busk Medal for reframing academic engagements with the global South, and conservationist, Isabella Tree, receives the Ness Award for outstanding communication on the topics of biodiversity and the relationships between humans and the environment.
The medals and awards will be presented at a ceremony at the Society in London later in the year once social distancing restrictions have been lifted.
The Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) is the learned society and professional body for geography. Formed in 1830 for ‘the advancement of geographical science’, today the Society delivers this objective through developing, supporting and promoting geographical research, expeditions and fieldwork, education, public engagement, and geography input to policy. The Society aims to foster an understanding and informed enjoyment of our world. It holds the world’s largest private geographical collection and provide public access to it. The Society have a thriving Fellowship and membership and offer the professional accreditation ‘Chartered Geographer’
Medal and Awards
The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)’s prestigious medals and awards recognise excellence in geographical research and fieldwork, teaching and public engagement. They are presented annually to individuals who have made outstanding achievements.