The Institute
Geography is one of the first disciplines at the University of Augsburg and has been established at the site for almost 50 years
The institute’s affairs are undertaken by a director, who represents the institute in the faculty as well as vis-à-vis the university management.
A course coordinator in the institute takes care of the teaching and course organisational needs.
The institute’s IT is managed by a system administrator, who also forms the interface with the data centre.
STRUCTURE OF THE INSTITUTE
The institute is divided into four (from 2022 six) chairs, four professorships, one adjunct professorship and one honorary professorship.
Organigramm
THE INSTITUTE’S EQUIPMENT
HISTORY OF THE INSTITUTE
Geography is one of the original subjects to be offered and has thus been represented at the University of Augsburg, founded in 1971[1], for almost 50 years. Headed for many years in three chairs, the Institute of Geography (IGUA) and the Institute of Computer Science have formed the Faculty of Applied Computer Science since 2003. From 2004 on, the institute underwent a sometimes far-reaching reorientation, transforming from the 'classic' division of human and physical geography towards the key topics of climate and environmental research as well as geoinformatics. This enabled the IGUA to develop a profile that is unique in Bavaria’s university landscape. With the appointment of new chairs, also new research priorities have been aligned, especially against the background of global climate change and significant socio-economic transformation processes, especially in countries in the Global South. The institute has been growing steadily for about 20 years: In addition to the original three professorships, additional professorships were established, including various sub-areas of geography and geoinformatics as well as a chair for regional climate and hydrology jointly established with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). As part of the High Tech Agenda Bavaria, two more new chairs are currently being set up. Both will be part of the newly established Center for Climate Resilience. Further impulses for the IGUA also come from the medical faculty founded in 2016; important research accents in the interplay of geography, medicine and computer science have already been initiated. And last but not least, diverse geographic cooperation with a wide variety of internal and external partners guarantee an outreach that extends far beyond Augsburg's borders. A total of more than 70 academic staff, more than 45 external lecturers, many committed members of the academic staff and a dedicated student association, research and teach at the Institute for Geography and supply and support over 1800 students in the Bachelor, Master and Teacher training courses.
(KTh, summer semester 2021)
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[1] For the history of the University of Augsburg see the publication on the 50th anniversary of the university: https://www.uni-augsburg.de/de/jubilaeum/festschrift/ ; Information on the IGUA from p. 182.