Scott Polar Research Institute

The Scott Polar Research Institute, established in 1920 as part of the University of Cambridge, is a centre of excellence in the study of the Arctic and Antarctic. Research covers both the natural and social sciences and is often interdisciplinary. The Institute also houses the World's premier Polar Library, extensive archival, photographic and object collections of international importance on the history of polar exploration, and a Polar Museum with displays of both the history and contemporary significance of the Arctic and Antarctic and their surrounding seas. The Institute is a sub-department of the Department of Geography.

SPRI's mission is to enhance the understanding of the polar regions through scholarly research and publication, educating new generations of polar researchers, caring for and making accessible its collections (including its library, archival, photographic and object collections), and projecting the history and environmental significance of the polar regions to the wider community for public benefit.

Facts and figures

Web http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk
Year Established 1920
Total Number of Staff 30
Number of Academic Staff 7
Number of Students 27
Focus Areas
  • glacimarine environments
  • glaciology and climate change
  • polar landscapes and remote sensing
  • polar histories, cultures, environments and politics
Web link for international students https://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/graduate/
Fields of Study Offered History and archaeology
Political science and civics
Economics
Environmental science
Earth science