Royal Geography Society honours two Bristol academics

Two Bristol academics have been recognised by the Royal Geography Society. Professor Danielle Schreve has received the 2026 Busk Medal, while David Richards has been named an honorary fellow of the society.

Shreve is Bristol’s Heather Corrie Chair for Environmental Change and has worked at the University of Bristol since 2024. She has been awarded the honour for her research on mammals’ evolutionary processes in response to climate change.

The Royal Geography Society’s Busk Award recognises exceptional conservation research and geographical fieldwork.

Professor Richards is the University of Bristol’s Professor of Physical Geography. He has been named an honorary fellow for service to geography.

Richards said: “It is a real pleasure to be recognised by my colleagues and the Society for promoting the full breadth of geography in its diverse and evolving forms, while supporting the student journey through outreach, teaching, alumni engagement, and the celebration of our shared history.”

Professor Richards

Shreve has also said she is  “really hopeful that the deeper-time evidence” serves an understanding of species’ survival.

The series of honours are awarded annually to 27 geographers. Of this year’s awards, The Royal Geography Society’s director, Professor Joe Smith, has noted: “This year’s recipients are recognised for deepening our understanding of our world, its people, and the processes that shape it.”

The Society has previously awarded its prestigious Victoria Medal to Bristol’s Professsor Jonothan Rigg in 2020, and its Gill Memorial Award to Dr Caitlin Robinson in 2025.

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Professor Richard’s research explores past sea levels, environmental pollution and climate change. He has conducted fieldwork in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Japan and the UK.

Richards also currently directs the university’s BRIDGE (Bristol Research Initiative for Dynamic Global Environment) initiative.

Professor Schreve’s projects have been  funded by the Natural Environmental Research Council. She was the co-author of  research published by the University in February, which revealed how grey wolves adapt their diet in response to climate change.

Professor Danielle Schreve

After receiving the Busk Medal, Shreve said of her work: “As a palaeoecologist, my work addresses the impact of both long-term and abrupt climate and environmental change on mammals and other vertebrates.”

She leads a number of excavation projects in South-West England, and is involved in partnerships managing the National Nature Reserves.

The Royal Geography Society was founded in 1830, and is a society and professional body for geography wiht the aim of advancing geographical sciences and promoting  geography education in the UK.

All images via the University of Bristol