Research overview
Research within the School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences is of global and regional significance. Our research into environmental monitoring and management focuses on areas such as remote sensing technologies and applications, spatial analysis and visualisation, geospatial technology applications to human environment interactions and disaster management. Another area of interest is ecology and biodiversity conservation in tropical Asia. The latter research is suited to our Malaysian environment and investigates topics such as the ecology and conservation of Asian megafauna (elephants, rhinos and tapirs), plant-animal interactions, defaunation and its consequences for ecosystem processes and conservation conflicts. We also have research expertise in lake and river environments hydrobiogeo chemistry, hydrological modelling, atmospheric science, agro forestry and landscape ecology.
We offer high-quality doctoral training to postgraduate students who wish to pursue an MPhil, MRes or PhD. As a research student you will work under a supervisor who will assist you in your research and thesis design. The school has close ties to the University’s ‘Mindset’ Research Centre which promotes and conducts cross-faculty interdisciplinary research on tropical environmental issues. We are interested in research projects relating to our core areas of research in environmental technology development and ecology along with biodiversity conservation in tropical Asia.
Why choose this programme?
Our Postgraduate Programmes are continuously expanding in response to changes in society and the need to integrate the latest research findings.
We are committed to educating graduates who are well prepared for the challenges of a knowledge based economy in the 21st Century.
Course content
Our current research projects include:
- Agro-tourism and community development
- Atmospheric composition and climate variability
- Climate change impact on biodiversity, conservation assessment of vulnerability of environment and adaptation strategies
- Conservation ecology of large animals, including the Management & Ecology of Malaysian Elephants (MEME)
- Conservation planning and prioritisation
- Disaster recovery monitoring and assessment – remote sensing multi-scale approach
- Distributed hydrological modelling: characterisation of watershed, precipitation, run off processes and hydrography shape
- Geospatial applications and capabilities for forecasting river floods and predicting urban watershed; climate change and its impact of terrestrial ecosystems
- Hydro-biogeochemical process and climate changes
- Institutional responses towards community participation in natural resources management
- Location-based crowd-sourcing data quality assessment
- Machine learning for remote sensing image analysis and high-performance computing
- Mapping and monitoring vegetation with UAV’s to enhance ecological knowledge
- Optical properties of water from different sources
- Remote sensing of intercrops
- Social and environmental impacts of mining past, present and future trajectories using remote sensing, GIS and social surveys methods
- Social capital and natural resources management
- Spatially explicit modelling of ecosystem services for regional-scale natural resource management and land use planning
- Sustainable intensification of agroecology for community development and agrobiodiversity conservation
- Tropical ecology and biodiversity conservation
- Valuing the ecosystem services
- Water pollution and public health
Within Management and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants we have a number of sub-projects:
- Development and application of molecular genetic tools for the management and conservation of elephants in Peninsular Malaysia
- Development of adaptive management strategies for human-elephant conflict across Asia
- Monitoring the effectiveness of translocations as a management and conservation tool for Asian elephants in Peninsular Malaysia
Research degrees with joint supervision from the Nottingham UK campus are also possible in a number of research areas, including:
- Agroforestry and Sustainable Development Goals
- Climate Change modelling
- GIS and Remote Sensing
- Peat and mangrove swamp sedimentary archives of environmental change
- The importance of mangrove habitats in global and regional carbon budgets
- Water quality in the inland waters of Peninsular Malaysia
If you are interested in applying, we would recommend that you familiarise yourself with our research areas and staff expertise and then contact us to discuss your research project proposal with the relevant supervisor in the first instance.
Entry requirements
All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2025 entry.
Entry requirements
PhD
A master’s degree or a Master of Philosophy degree, plus at least a second-class honours degree (2:2) (or international equivalent) in science, engineering, or geography and environment-related subjects. Non-UK qualifications will be assessed against this standard.
Or
A first-class honours degree (or international equivalent) in science, engineering, or geography and environment-related subjects. Non-UK qualifications will be assessed against this standard.
MPhil
An upper second-class honours degree (2:1) (or international equivalent) in science, engineering, or geography and environment-related subjects. Non-UK qualifications will be assessed against this standard.
MRes
At least a second-class honours degree (2:2) (or international equivalent) in science, engineering, or geography and environment-related subjects. Non-UK qualifications will be assessed against this standard.
Applicants must hold a degree from a recognised university. We welcome students from all academic backgrounds and consider a wide range of qualifications. For certain programmes, prior qualifications must be in related fields. As part of the admissions process, applicants may be invited to attend an interview if further evaluation is deemed necessary.
Eligibility can only be confirmed upon submission of a complete application.
English language requirements
IELTS (Academic): |
6.0 (with no less than 5.5 in each element) |
TOEFL (iBT): |
80 (minimum 17 in Writing and Listening, 18 in Reading, 20 in Speaking) |
PTE (Academic): |
65 (with no less than 59 in each element) |
| MUET: | Band 4 |
- IELTS (Academic), TOEFL iBT, and PTE (Academic) test results must be less than two years old.
- IELTS One Skill Retake is accepted.
- IELTS Academic Online, TOEFL iBT Home Edition, and PTE Academic Online are not accepted.
- MUET results are valid for five years from the release date.
Careers
Career opportunities
We have postgraduates who progress into career working in government and non-governmental agencies as advisors, policy makers, legal framework developers, conservation officers, and academicians.
Career advice
Careers Advisory Service (CAS), University of Nottingham Malaysia has always provided excellent exposure to the postgraduates to employers by organizing many activities and events such as:
- Careers Events and Employability Workshops
- Careers Mentoring Programme
- Careers Opportunities and Updates
- Get Ready Get Hired (GRGH) Certificate Programme
- Resume Review and Career Consultation
Apart from this, EGS in collaboration with CAS also organises EGS career day whereby a few representatives from the corporation and industry will be invited to speak about the career opportunities in their organization. We also invite our alumni during this annual event so that they can share their experience and also career opportunities in the organization they are attached to.
Job prospects
The University of Nottingham is one of the highest ranked universities in the world for graduate employability. Our graduates are equipped with crucial transferable skills that allow them to succeed in the workplace. A well-grounded understanding of environmental issues is increasingly required in both government and industry. Many graduates from UNM have successfully undertaken good careers in environmental consultancy, academia and further study.
