https://www.debbiehopkins.co.uk/Debbie is a geographer jointly appointed between Oxford Lifelong Learning and the School of Geography and the Environment, and an Official Fellow at Kellogg College. Since joining Oxford from the University of Otago in 2016, she has held positions as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow (2016-2017), a Departmental Research Lecturer (2017-2019) and Associate Professor in Human Geography (2019-2026). Debbie became Professor of the Human Geographies of Mobility in 2026.
Debbie’s research was initially centred on climate breakdown in what are often described as ‘hard to decarbonise’ sectors (aviation, road haulage), showing that while there might be a material reality experienced in these areas to reduce dependence on the burning of fossil fuels, oftentimes it was also restricted by a limited set of values, logics and imaginaries. These insights made it clear that many of the solutions to climate breakdown exacerbated existing injustices and/or created new ones. The ambition to achieve just transformations of mobility configurations thus underpin much of Debbie’s ongoing research. Her work spans human geography sub-disciplines, and is often interdisciplinary in nature, involving collaborations with colleagues around the world.
Her research has been funded by public funding agencies in the UK, Norway, Aotearoa NZ, US etc., most recently leading two UKRI Economic and Social Research Council projects, ‘Trucking Lives’ and ‘INCLUCity+’. Debbie has published widely on these topics, with a full up to date list available on her personal website, or Google Scholar.
Debbie was awarded a 2025/26 US-UK Fulbright Scholar award, and was hosted by Cornell University’s College of Art, Architecture and Planning.
