Sylvia Chant Lecture Series

The Sylvia Chant Lecture Series honours the life, work, and legacy of Professor Sylvia Chant (1960–2019), a pioneering scholar of Development Geography and a global authority in Gender and Development. Jointly organised by the Department of Geography and Environment and the Department of Gender Studies at LSE, the series celebrates Sylvia's enduring contributions to research, teaching and public debate on gender, development and social justice.

Sylvia Chant spent her career advancing understandings of gendered poverty, urban livelihoods, and social policy, and she was a beloved member of the LSE Department of Geography and Environment and the Department of Gender Studies for over three decades.

Created in memory of Professor Chant, the series showcases cutting-edge research and critical debates on gender, development, urbanisation, and social justice. Each event brings together leading scholars, practitioners, and students to reflect on the themes that defined Sylvia’s work and continue to shape global development agendas.

Sylvia was an internationally recognised figure in gender and development. Her research spanned Mexico, Costa Rica, the Philippines, and The Gambia, where she conducted extensive fieldwork on gendered poverty, household dynamics, migration, and urban life.

She held visiting professorships in Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, and contributed her expertise to numerous global development organisations.

In addition to her longstanding role in the Department of Geography and Environment, Sylvia maintained close links with the Department of Gender Studies throughout her career. She contributed to teaching on the MSc Gender, Development and Globalisation programme and supervised PhD students within the department. Her interdisciplinary approach to research and teaching helped shape generations of scholars working at the intersection of gender, development and globalisation.