Science at the Faculty of Geography
In 2021-2025, scientific research at our faculty is conducted on 22 topics within the state's scientific assignment, within the framework of the priority scientific direction of «Global and Regional Environmental and Societal Changes». Researchers and faculty members are actively and successfully participating in competitions organized by leading Russian scientific funds, including under a megagrant program (for example, «Assessment of Risks of Natural Disasters in the Coastal Zone», 2010-2014, and «Megapolis: An Island of Pollution and Heat: Interdisciplinary Hydroclimatic, Geochemical, and Environmental Analysis», 2021-2023). Our faculty members are also participating in major international projects under the HORIZON program of the EU, IAEA, FAO, UNEP, BRICS, and other organizations.
The Faculty of Geography is an active participant in the development programs of Lomonosov Moscow State University and one of the organizers of the interdisciplinary scientific and educational school «The Future of the Planet and Global Environmental Change» at Moscow State University.
The faculty houses the Center for Collective Use «Geoportal MSU», which is a geoinformational complex comprising hardware (antennas for receiving satellite information, terminals for its processing), programs for acquiring and processing satellite imagery, and updated databases based on images received. This facility provides unique opportunities for MSU employees and students to access satellite imagery of the Earth.
The country's first analytical laboratory for optical-luminescence dating has been established. This latest instrument base provides detailed reconstructions of past conditions, allowing us to understand the driving mechanisms behind climatically driven changes in paleoenvironmental conditions and predict natural trends in environmental development.
The Meteorological Observatory, founded in 1954 and located at Moscow State University, is a center for educational and research activities, as well as a scientific facility for studying the climatic conditions in the city of Moscow. The Observatory conducts a unique array of continuous observations on ecological and climatological features of the atmospheric environment, utilizing modern techniques in accordance with internationally recognized standards set by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Russian Hydro-Meteorological Service (Roshydromet). Currently, a state-of-the-art aerosol monitoring instrumentation system operates on the premises of the Observatory. The equipment available there allows for the scientific assessment of environmental conditions based on comprehensive air quality data within the metropolitan area.
In addition, the faculty has a modern instrumentation facility for field and laboratory-based analytical research. This includes a dedicated laboratory that allows for the modeling of cryosphere processes and their effects on the properties of natural and artificial materials under controlled conditions. In recent years, faculty members have received more than 10 patents for inventions related to geography that have commercial potential. Each year, many research and applied projects are conducted at the faculty, and at least ten major national and international scientific conferences on geography and human interactions with the environment are held.
The faculty publishes approximately 40 books and teaching materials every year, as well as several hundred articles in leading scientific journals around the world. The faculty of the university has been actively involved in the development of the national atlas of Russia and other regional atlases. These include «Russian Arctic in the 21st century: natural conditions and development risks», «National atlas of the Arctic», and a series of smaller-scale regional atlases across the country, as well as those for specific regions, such as Khanty-Mansiysk, Kaliningrad and Moscow.
The university faculty also collaborates closely with the Russian Geographical Society and some of the leading companies in the country. These include Gazprom and Rosneft, among others.
Research and educational facilities at Moscow State University located in Khibiny, Elbrus and Satino in the Kaluga Region, as well as the Arkhangelsk Region, serve as research hubs for joint projects between various Russian and international organizations.
