Dr. Geraint Ellis is Senior Lecturer in the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering (SPACE) and Institute of Environmental and Spatial Planning (ISEP) at Queen's University, Belfast. He has degrees from the Universities of Birmingham (B.Sc. Geography, First Class Hons), Reading (M.Phil, Environmental Planning) and Cardiff (Ph.D., City and Regional Planning). He also has a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching (Queen's University, Belfast) and is a Fellow of the High Education Academy.
He joined Queen's in 1998, having previously worked for community and environmental organisations in the east end of London (1990-1993), acted as a planning and community development advisor to he Government of Lesotho in Southern Africa (1993-1996) and as the Transport Director for the South Bank Employers' Group and Cross River Partnership in central London (1996-1998).
Geraint is active in the Northern Ireland voluntary sector , is currently a Board Director of Belfast Healthy Cities and a founder member of Transition Town Whitehead . He was previously a director of Transport 2000 (NI), Sustainable NI, Community Techncial Aid (now Community Places) and a founder member of the Irish Institute of Sustinability Education. He has also provided planning advice to the Traveller Movement (NI) and Freinds of the Earth (NI). He also acts as the Irish contact for the International Network of Urban Research and Action (INURA), has been an advisor to the Centre for Education in the Built Environment (CEBE) and a meber of the UK's Sustainable Development Panel..
Between 2000 and 2010 was been Director of Undergraduate Studies for Planning, Advisor of Studies to all undergraduate planning students and acted as the Admissions Officer for the BSc Environmental Planning. He now runds the Erasmus Programme and other internationalisation initaitves. He is a member of the Managment Board for the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering . He also contributes to a number of university-wide committees and teaching iniatives. He was been a member of Academic Council between 2000 and 2008.
Geraint is currently the module coordinator for the following:
Planning and Environmental Governance (EVP8011)
Institutional and Policy Context of Planning (EVP1014)
He has coordinated a range of other modules and regularly contributes to other modules, including Legal Studies in Planning (EVP3010), Independent Research Project (EVP3011), Planning and Sustainable Development (EVP2009) and Planning Skills and Ethics (EVP8012).
He supervises around 10 undergraduate and Masters students every year on their dissertations and currently has four Ph.D students as supervisees.
He is also actively involved in a number of University-wide initiatives at promoting good practice in learning and teaching, including sitting on the steering group for the Centre of Excellence and Teaching for Active and Interactive Learning (CEAIL NI).
He also acts as an External Examiner to the Faculty of the Built Environment in the University of West of England and is a member of the Advisory Group to the Higher Education Academy's Centre for Education in the Built Environment (CEBE).
Geraint's research interests lie in the broad field of spatial planning and sustainability, with a particular emphasis on environmental governance, renewable energy, marine spatial planning, environmental justice and equality issues in planning. He has also written and research on pedagogy in planning and environmental education. He has been invoilved in a range of research projects that include:
2008-09. G. Ellis and B. Murtagh, The Future of the Planning Academy, Funded by the Royal Town Planning Institute, Value, £22,000.
2008-11. T. Weekes and G. Ellis, Evaluation of the Growing Together programme, Funded by Leitrim Organic Centre, Value £5,000.
2007-09. Strachan, P., Cowell, R. and Ellis, G,.Warren, C.AND Szarka, C. ESRC Seminar series What future for wind power?, RES-26-451-0386, (£21,000).
2007-08. Murtagh, B. and Ellis, G. ESRC-ASC RES182-25-0019, Skills for Managing Spatial Diversity, Value £40,000.
2006-07. G.Ellis and T. Weekes "Making Sustainability Real: Using a group-enquiry approach in Masters research", Funded by Higher Education Academy, Value £4,000.
2006-08. G.Ellis (supervisor), M. Roy and R. Curry, "A resource flow analysis and ecological footprint of Ireland: GIS application" funded by Environmental Protection Agency (Republic of Ireland). Value £87,180.
2005-06. G.Ellis and J. Barry "Discourses of Objection in Renewable Energy: Towards Deliberative Policy Making", Funded by Economic and Social Research Council (Ref: RES-000- 22-1095). Value £47,327.
2002. G.Ellis, "International Review of Third Party Appeals" funded by Department of the Environment (NI). Value £3,600.
2002-03. G.Ellis, B. Neill and B. Motherway, "Local Sustainability Policy in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland", funded by Centre for Cross Border Studies. Value £25,000.
2001-04. G.Ellis and C. McWhirter, "Good Practice Guidance for Planning for Travellers", funded by Equality Commission, Value £15,000.
2000-01. G.Ellis "Third Party Planning Appeals in the Republic of Ireland" funded by the Department of the Environment (NI),Value £5,000.
2001. G.Ellis and Ken Sterrett "Assessing Professional Skills in Planning Courses", funded by HEFCE, via QUB CELT, Value £9,500.
2000. G. Ellis* Project management of public transport projects, Consultancy funded by Cross River Partnership, London, Value, £8,000
He is currently supervising four Ph.D. students:
Heather Ritchie: Stakeholder Engagment in Marine Spatial Planning
Joanne Jordan: Social Capital and Communities Vulnerable to Climate Change
Philip Black: Sustainable Constrcution in the New Belfast
Evelyn O'Connor (D.Gov): Public Particpation in the Irish Planning System.
Geraint was awared the European Studies Prize for the best paper of 2001
