Departmental Goals

The Department of Human Geography in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies will:

1. Undertake theoretical and applied research and scholarship in the geographical sciences at the highest international standards;


2. Seek to advance fundamental knowledge in geography with research of national and international importance in the Asia-Pacific region and with activities that contribute to associated fields of knowledge in the social and environmental sciences;


3. Develop and maintain links with universities, government and industry, within Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, in order to seek financial support for research and so that research carried out by the Department will directly benefit the people of Australia and the people of the region;


4. Provide the best possible supervision, training and education of Australian and international postgraduate students, and will endeavour to attract and provide support for students from the Asia-Pacific region;


5. Support graduate students and staff to undertake field-based research in the Asia-Pacific region;


6. Nurture the early research careers of younger staff members;


7. Whenever possible, provide support for postdoctoral fellows;


8. Forge links with other Australian universities and with universities in the Asia-Pacific region, in order to carry out collaborative research in the region;


9. Whenever possible, assist the staff of universities and research institutions in the region to pursue their own research;


10. Through publications and the maintenance of databases accessible from the World Wide Web, be a focus of scholarship and knowledge for the Asia-Pacific region.