Dr Debbie Hopkins, Course Director for the DPhil in Sustainable Urban Development, has been conferred the title of full Professor in the University of Oxford’s 2026 Recognition of Distinction exercise.
Dr Debbie Hopkins, Professor of the Human Geographies of Mobility, joined the Department in 2019. She holds her appointment jointly between Oxford Lifelong Learning and the School of Geography and the Environment and is an Official Fellow at Kellogg College. Debbie’s research focuses on socially just and climate-compatible transformations, particularly how mobility, labour and logistics intersect with sustainability, equity and climate change.
In response to her new title, Debbie stated, ‘I am thrilled to have been promoted to Professor through the 2026 Recognition of Distinction exercise.
Of course, this recognition reflects far more than my own efforts. It belongs, in so many ways, to my family, who have supported me throughout and for whom I do everything; to the spectacular mentors I have been fortunate enough to learn from; to the colleagues and friends without whom I would, inevitably, have crumbled along the way; and to the wonderful students whose stimulating questions continually challenge me and whose passion is infectious.
I am also conscious of what it means to receive this recognition at a difficult moment for higher education. With academia shrinking across the UK and elsewhere, geography departments closing, and many universities facing profound uncertainty, I see this promotion not just as an achievement but as a responsibility.
It is a responsibility to advocate for the vital importance of geographical thinking at a time of climate breakdown and deepening social and spatial inequalities; to defend the value of universities and the work that happens within them; and, particularly, to stand up for those institutions – many of which create opportunities for first-generation scholars and communities historically underserved by higher education – whose very existence is under threat.
I am enormously grateful to everyone who has been part of my journey so far, and determined to use the privilege and platform of being a Professor to help make space for those who come next.’
