The Department of Geography is pleased to announce two new faculty members that begin their positions this academic year: Chrystel Oloukoï and tish lopez. Read more about them below.
Chrystel Oloukoï
Chrystel Oloukoï joins us as an Assistant Professor after recently completing their Ph.D. in African and African American Studies from Harvard University. They hold a B.A. and M.A. in Geography from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (France). They bring expertise in urban geography, racialization, diaspora, and political economies. Oloukoï’s research examines how colonial history informs contemporary African urbanism, pushing Black geographies beyond the typical US/UK focus. They are committed to understanding the legacies of colonial policing at the intersection of Black studies and Critical Media Practice. Oloukoï also brings experience in filmmaking, cartography, and moving image artistry.
Oloukoï is the recipient of numerous honors including the Carter Woodson Institute Predoctoral Fellowship, the Harvard Film Study Center Fellowship, the Wenner-Gren Fellowship, Harvard’s Merit Fellowship, and many more. Oloukoï’s talents extend to languages as well - they are proficient in French, English, Yoruba, Pidgin, and Spanish; are advanced in IsiZulu; and are intermediary with 5 other languages! Another fun fact is that Oloukoï is passionate about pole dancing and martial arts, mentioning how common it is for academic pursuits to “disconnect us from our bodies and our holistic well-being.” For Oloukoï, martial arts and pole dancing are reminders to “resist that pull, and ground me into place and time.”
Oloukoï will teach GEOG 277 Geography of Cities in winter and GEOG 425 Qualitative Studies in the spring along with a graduate seminar topic “Dark Ecologies.” They are excited about getting to know everyone here, noting the importance of hallway chats. Please make sure to say hi!
tish lopez
tish lopez joins us as an Assistant Professor after working as a faculty member at Dartmouth College. She is familiar with the University of Washington as she earned her Ph.D. from our own Department of Geography! lopez brings expertise around disparities in health, well-being, and equity. She is considered a leading scholar of care ethics, highlighting its significance in different social settings, at different spatial scales, and across temporalites.
lopez has a vast research portfolio, including regional work on Haiti and the Caribbean and in the U.S. Her current research explores five disease outbreaks, historical and projected, focusing on the politicized responses, with implications for who is deemed worthy of care.
She serves as an editorial board member for Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space and is an advisory board member of the Gender, Feminism, and Geography Book Series with West Virginia University Press. She also has vast experience mentoring and supervising undergraduate students.
lopez’s teaching record includes courses on globalization, geopolitics, development, and care ethics. She loves teaching and always strives to innovate within the classroom. This year she will teach GEOG 331 Global Poverty and Care and a graduate seminar on Marxism from Marx to Black Liberation in winter and GEOG 280 Geographies of Health & Healthcare in the spring.
We are fortunate to welcome Oloukoï and lopez to the University of Washington!