Chair's events
Convened by Professor Peter Hopkins in his role as Chair of Conference 2026, our Chair's events explore multiple dimensions of Geographies of inequalities: towards just places.
We're adding more information about speakers, panel chairs, times and locations as these are confirmed. Check back regularly for more information.
We'll also start to feature information about other programme highlights as these are confirmed.
Chair's event: Opening keynote by Professor Susan Smith
Tuesday 1 September, Time to be confirmed, Ondaatje Theatre. Further details coming soon.
Chair’s event: a conversation with Professor Jason Arday
Date, time and location to be confirmed
Join this “fireside chat” between the conference Chair and Professor Jason Arday, the 2002 Professorial Chair in the Sociology of Education at the University of Cambridge. The youngest Black person ever appointed to a professorship at Cambridge, join this session to hear from, and ask questions about, Jason’s experiences of - and research about - race, inequality and education.
Chair’s event: how to generate ‘thinking environments’
Date, time and location to be confirmed
How can we enable students, researchers, collaborators, and colleagues to do their very best thinking, for themselves? This session addresses this question by sharing the ‘time to think’ approach developed by Nancy Kline (1999, 2009, 2020). In this session, we will be joined by Time to Think Global Faculty member Claire Andrews who will introduce this approach and run through the ten components involved in creating a ‘thinking environment’. We will then focus on the practical applications of this including a live demonstration of a ‘time to think’ session in action.
Featuring Claire Andrews (independent), Professor Jen Bagelman, Renzo Szkwarok, and Professor Peter Hopkins (all Newcastle University)
Chair’s event: towards care-full geographies of disability, health, well-being, and care
Date, time and location to be confirmed
This panel session focuses on geographies of disability, health, wellbeing and care with contributions from leading researchers working on these topics. This panel showcases recent developments and emerging intersections within and between these subdisciplines and amplifies interdisciplinary work on the lived experiences of health inequalities, including those relating to chronic illnesses, learning disabilities, caregiving, body-mind differences, and other key issues connected to the complex and unequal geographies of health, care, and wellbeing.
Featuring Professor Bethan Evans (University of Liverpool), Dr Ed Kiely (Queen Mary University of London), Professor Elizabeth Olson (UNC Chapel Hill), Professor Andrew Power (University of Southampton), and chaired by Dr Poppy Budworth (University of Liverpool.
Chair’s event: Challenging racism and racial inequalities
Date, time and location to be confirmed
This panel session focuses on the important work being done in geography and related fields to tackle racism and to challenge racial inequalities. Drawing on different international examples – and speaking from diverse positions - the panel focuses on how research is exposing the harm being done by racism in different geographical contexts, the ways in which researchers and their collaborators are working to resist this, and how different approaches to antiracism feature within this work.
Featuring Professor Laura Pulido (London School of Economics and Political Science), Professor Claire Hancock (Paris), Dr James Carr (University of Limerick), Dr Rachel Sharples (University of Western Sydney), and chaired by Dr Alanna Kamp (University of Western Sydney)
Chair’s event: Queer and feminist perspectives toward just geographies
Date, time and location to be confirmed
Join this panel session to learn about important feminist and queer research that is exposing and confronting inequalities. Focusing on how such inequalities are evident in our classrooms and lecture theatres, within our discipline, and within public spaces, this session draws attention to the challenges of addressing patriarchy and confronting the marginalisation and exclusion of queer, trans and non-binary people and knowledges in everyday institutional and public spaces.
Featuring Dr Rae Rosenberg (University of Edinburgh), Tilen Kolar (Leeds)
Dr Rachael Squires (Royal Holloway, University of London), Dr Kate Boyer (Cardiff University) and chaired by Dr Alessandro Boussalem (University of St Andrews)
Chair’s event: migrant justice and border abolition
Date, time and location to be confirmed
This panel reflects on peoples’ struggles against systems of bordering – from border crossings, detention, and deportation to raids and everyday policing of migrant communities. Through a focus on radical practices, histories, and geographies of migrant justice and border abolition, this conversation explores the challenges, joys, and benefits of imagining, planning and practicing a world without borders – a world where people have the freedom to move, the freedom to stay, and the freedom to return. Join this panel session to learn about inspiring research and current debates on migrant justice and border abolition.
Featuring Dr Geoff Boyce (University College Dublin), Dr Martina Tazzioli (University of Bologna), Gracie Mae Bradley (University of Glasgow), Anish Chhibber (Queen Mary University of London), and chaired by Dr Malene Jacobsen (Newcastle University)
