Dr. Josephine Chambers

Josie Chambers is an assistant professor in the Urban Futures Studio at the Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development. Her research examines how critical and artistic approaches can challenge notions of ‘inevitable’ unjust futures and enable radical imagination and transformative politics. She does so in collaboration with diverse societal actors, such as in the African Urban Futures project, and shares her insights in the blog Utopian Pulses. Josie also uses creative pedagogies to transform the classroom space, leading to student-led outputs such as the Creative Collectives for Utopia Zine and Rural Utopias theatrical event. Prior to joining UU, Josie completed a PhD and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge and worked for two years as a postdoctoral researcher at Wageningen University on strengthening the transformative role of research in society.

What sparks people to imagine radically just futures and make them politically possible?

Josie Chambers has been a member of the Utrecht Young Academy, a bridge between young and talented researchers, since 2024.