Earth, Environment and Society

Program Information
Program and Course Offerings

The School of Earth, Environment & Society offers programs leading to the degrees M.A., M.Sc., and Ph.D. in Geography; and M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences.

Enquiries: 905 525-9140 Ext. 23535
Fax: 905 546-0463
E-mail: geograd@mcmaster.ca
Website: http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/ees/

Faculty/Fall 2023

Director

Janok Bhattacharya, B.Sc (Memorial), Ph.D. (McMaster)

Associate Directors

Eduard G. Reinhardt, B.A., Ph.D. (Carleton)
Michael Mercier, B.Sc. (Trent), M.A. (Carleton), Ph.D. (McMaster)

Professors

Altaf M. Arain, B.E. (Pakistan), M.S., Ph.D. (Arizona)
Sean K. Carey, B.Sc. (Guelph), M.Sc., Ph.D. (McMaster)
Vera A. Chouinard, B.A. (Western), M.A. (Toronto), Ph.D. (McMaster)
Paulin Coulibaly, B.A.Sc., M.A.Sc., (Nice), Ph.D. (Laval)
Karen Kidd, B.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D. (Alberta)
Sang-Tae Kim, B.Sc. (Korea), M.Sc. (Michigan), Ph.D. (McGill)
Bruce K. Newbold, B.A., Ph.D. (McMaster)
Antonio H. Paez, B.Sc. (Mexico), M.A., Ph.D. (Japan)
Darren M. Scott, B.A. (St. Mary’s), M.A. (Western), Ph.D. (McMaster)
Gregory F. Slater, B.Sc., M.Sc. , Ph.D. (Toronto)
James E. Smith, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D. (Waterloo)
J. Michael Waddington, B.Sc. (McMaster), M.Sc., Ph.D. (York)
Allison M. Williams, B.A. (Bishops), M.A. (Toronto), Ph.D. (York)
Robert D. Wilton, B.A. (Hull), M.A., Ph.D. (S. California)

Associate Professors

Joseph I. Boyce, B.Sc. (McMaster), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Toronto)
Abel Chikanda, B.A. (Zimbabwe), MPhil (Zimbabwe), Ph.D. (Western)
Gita Ljubicic, B.E.S (York), M.Sc. (Queen’s), Ph.D. (Toronto)
Suzanne Mills, B.Sc. (McGill), M.Sc. (Alberta), Ph.D. (Saskatchewan)
Maureen Padden, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Waterloo), Ph.D. (Geological Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)
Niko Yiannakoulias, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Alberta)

Assistant Professors

Melanie Bedore, BPAPM (Carleton), M.P.A. (Queen’s), Ph.D (Queen’s)
Luc Bernier, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Montreal), Ph.D (McMaster)
Alemu Gonsamo, B.Sc. (Debub), M.Sc. (Wageningen), Ph.D. (Helsinki)
John MacLachlan, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D (McMaster)
Elli Papangelakis, B.Sc. (Toronto), MSc. (UBC), Ph.D (Waterloo)
Alexander L. Peace, B.Sc., Ph.D. (Durham-UK)
Léa Ravensbergen, B.Sc. (McGill), M.A., PhD. (Toronto)

Associate Members

James Dunn, B.A., M.A. (McMaster), Ph.D. (Simon Fraser)
Olive Wahoush, Ph.D. (Toronto)

Adjunct Members

James Chatters, B.A., Ph.D. (Washington)
Dominique Henri, B.A., M.A. (McGill), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Oxford)
Myroslava Khomik, Ph.D. (McMaster)
Peter Kitchen, B.A., M.A. (Carleton), Ph.D. (Ottawa)
Kurt Kornelsen, B.Sc., B.Ed. (Brock), Ph.D. (McMaster)
Charlotte MacAlister, B.Sc. (Manchester Metropolitan), M.Sc., Ph.D. (Newcastle)
Mir Matin, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Dhaka), M.Sc. (Twente), MBA (Royal Roads), P.hD. (New Brunswick)
Chris McLaughlin, B.Sc. (Waterloo), M.Sc. (Guelph), Ph.D. (McMaster)
Duminda Perera, B.Sc. (Moratuwa), M.Eng. (Kyushu), Dr. Eng. (Kyushu)
Matthew Peros, B.Sc. (Toronto), M.A. (York University), Ph.D. (Toronto)
Grace Oluwasanya, B.Sc. (Abeokuta), M.Sc. (Wageningen), P.hD. (Cranfield)
Dominique Rissolo, B.A. (San Diego State), M.A., Ph.D. (California-Riverside)
Matthias Sweet, B.A. (Appalachian State), M.A. (Georgia), Ph.D. (Pennsylvania)
Lina Taing, B.A. (California), M.Sc. (Queensland), Ph.D. (Cape Town)
Shusen Wang, Ph.D. (Alberta)
Kate Whalen, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (McMaster)

Research in Geography and Earth & Environmental Sciences

The School of Earth, Environment & Society offers research opportunities in the areas of Environment and Health, Social Geography, Spatial Analysis, Hydrological Sciences, Geochemistry and Near-Surface Environmental Processes.

Environment and Health

Areas of research interest include individual and community impacts, environment and health policy, environment and development, and spatial relationships.

Social Geography

Research opportunities in the specialist area of Social Geography include the social aspects of health and health care, feminist geography, disability and space, housing, political economy and urban historical geography.

Spatial Analysis

The application of economic and behavioural theory via quantitative analysis to understand spatial patterns of outcomes in human activity has been a major focus of urban/economic geography at McMaster. Areas of research interest now include transportation, population, urban economics and land use, and health and its determinants.

Hydrological Sciences

The area of physical geography concentrates on physical hydrology, hydro-climatology, boundary layer research, aquatic biogeochemistry, biogeography, soil and vegetation, ground water contamination and near-surface water environments.

Geochemistry

Geochemical research at McMaster is focused on the areas of stable and radiogenic isotopes, physical processes, geochronology and interpretation of physio-chemical records in terrestrial materials. The geological time frame addressed is broad but emphasizes Quaternary and Holocene time.

Near-Surface Environmental Processes (NEP)

The NEP research group focuses on earth and atmospheric processes operating at or close to the Earth’s surface and includes research in the fields of physical climatology and hydrology, surficial geoscience (sedimentology, marine processes, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, geophysics), and environmental quality (biogeochemical and contaminant transport, trace gas exchange).

Facilities for Research in Geography

The School of Earth, Environment & Society is amongst the most advanced in Canada in terms of its experience in training candidates for advanced degrees.

The facilities include: analytic and experimental laboratories for climatology, and geomorphology; a geographic information system laboratory; and a comprehensive map collection.

Facilities for Research in Earth & Environmental Sciences

The School of Earth, Environment & Society is well equipped with analytical facilities including mass spectrometers, X-ray fluorescence, atomic absorption spectrometers, and gamma ray spectrometer. Transmission and scanning electron microscopes with elemental analysis facilities are available and commonly used. School facilities for Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and thermoluminescence (TL) age-dating techniques have been used in the study of archaeological sites, earthquake recurrence rates, coastal sediments and hominid evolution.

There are special laboratories for the study of aqueous geochemistry, experimental sedimentology, X-ray diffraction and fluorescence, rock/mineral analysis, radiochemistry, mass spectrometry and fossils.

The School operates a microcomputer laboratory comprising a suite of PC’s with associated printers, plotters and flatbed scanners. At the undergraduate level specific courses have been developed around the application of software packages to geological problems.

The School maintains a suite of geophysical equipment for the acquisition of magnetic, gravity and IP/Resistivity data. In addition, an industry standard computing system is used for the imaging of geophysical and remote sensing information and interpretive modeling of potential field data.

The choice of thesis topic is made in light of the interests of the student and the support available from research grants.

Programs

Master

Doctoral

Geography and Earth & Environmental Sciences, Ph.D

Course Offerings

Geography and Earth & Environmental Sciences Courses