Geography at Berkeley

Congratulations to Professor John Chiang, who has been elected a 2026 Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), one of the highest honors bestowed by the organization. Chiang is recognized for his contributions to understanding large-scale climate dynamics, climate variability and change, and paleoclimate, with research that examines the mechanisms driving changes in global and regional climate.

AGU Fellows are selected for “exceptional contributions to Earth and space science through a breakthrough, discovery, or innovation in their field”, and is given to 0.1% of the AGU membership. We are delighted to celebrate Professor Chiang’s well-deserved recognition.

Students in Seth Lunine’s Urban Field Study (GEOG 181) spend each Friday in the field from 9-5, exploring the Bay Area by foot and learning to read urban landscapes.

Last Friday, students walked through downtown San Francisco and SoMa, looking for layers of history in the city’s streets, buildings, and waterfront. Along the way, they discussed what gives a neighborhood a sense of character, how redevelopment and gentrification shape who can remain in a neighborhood, and how San Francisco’s environmental and social history continues to shape the urban landscape today.

Here, the class sits in front of the former Pacific Stock Exchange, now an Equinox gym.

The world is looking at maps a little differently this week and our very own Associate Professor Clancy Wilmott was there to help explain why. 🌍

Clancy Wilmott has been in the international spotlight this week following the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution supporting the wider use of the Equal Earth projection, a map designed to represent the relative size of the world’s landmasses more accurately. Wilmott spoke with BBC News about what the change means and why the maps we use matter. She also joined ABC Radio National to discuss the new world map and the fascinating geography behind it 🗺️ Link in profile!

We are honored to announce the installation of the Donald S. Moore Geography Library in 583 Seminar Room. This collection of several hundred volumes is Don’s gift to our community—a living archive of Marxist, anti-colonial, and anti-racist thought. 📚

Don joined UC Berkeley Anthropology in 1998, leaving an indelible mark on geography, African studies, and political ecology. His seminal works—Suffering for Territory & Race, Nature, and the Politics of Difference—shaped generations of scholars. Beyond his brilliant scholarship on spatiality, power, and race in Zimbabwe, Don was an unfailingly generous mentor, confidant, and friend who pushed us all to engage both texts and the world more deeply, radically, and humanely.

This collection is meant to be read and shared. Visit 583 Seminar Room, sign out a book, and return it when done so others can continue to learn through Don’s generosity. The collection is one way he remains among us. 🖤

Berkeley Geography is SO back! 🎉 Kicking off the Fall semester with a picnic in Codornices Park and our first annual dessert contest 🍰

What can a map tell us about a language, a landscape, and a family history? 🗺️

Geography senior Christina Carasis is using mapping and community-based research to explore Arvanitika, an endangered language in Greece that is part of her own family history. Her work in Argolida connects people, place, and language—and aims to create a map that local communities can use to preserve and share their history and culture.

Read Christina’s story in the latest OURS Student Spotlight! ✨ Link in bio 👆

Our newest Geography students got quite the welcome yesterday! 🎉 At New Student Orientation, current students and alumni shared their best advice, insider tips, favorite classes, and a little wisdom from their own Geography journeys.

From “here’s what I wish I knew” to “you HAVE to take this class,” our new students got the inside scoop from the people who know it best. 💙🐻💛

Welcome to the Geography family! We’re so glad you’re here. 🌏

📍New R1B course: Storytelling in Place with Lakshmi Sarah

What makes a place memorable? How do the stories we tell shape our understanding of the world and ourselves?

In Storytelling in Place, students explore the powerful relationship between storytelling, geography, identity, and place through readings, films, podcasts, and creative projects. The semester culminates in students creating their own place-based stories, connecting their experiences with the places that matter the most.

📝 Fulfills the R1B Reading & Comp requirement

Undergraduate students in .talki’s class “Audio Narratives of the Bay Area” had the chance to visit the office in San Francisco’s Mission District. Students heard from KQED reporter and editor Dana Cronin who covers climate change, environmental issues, food and agriculture; afternoon host Natalia Navarro and community reporter Carlos Cabrera Lomeli. Students also shared what they have been working on for their final projects in the course.

We are excited to announce our Geogrqphy Department Commencement speaker: .dubal

Veena Dubal is Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine, School of Law and General Counsel for the American Association of University Professors. Her research focuses broadly on law, technology, and precarious workers, combining legal and empirical analysis to explore issues of labor and inequality.

Professor Dubal has written numerous articles in top law and social science journals and publishes essays in the popular press. TechCrunch has called Prof. Dubal an “unlikely star in the tech world,” and her expertise is frequently sought by regulatory bodies, legislators, judges, workers, and unions in the U.S. and Europe. Prior to joining the academy, Professor Dubal was a public interest attorney and Berkeley Law Foundation Fellow at the Asian Law Caucus where she founded a taxi worker project and represented Muslim Americans in civil rights cases.

Professor Dubal received a B.A. from Stanford University and holds J.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley.