Dr. Julia de Freitas Sampaio
About me
I am a postdoctoral researcher working on disaster risk reduction, WASH, and resilient urban structures. My research examines how infrastructures and public policies shape cities’ ability to respond to and recover from extreme weather events, with a strong focus on equality and justice. I use qualitative and quantitative surveys, GIS, and policy analysis to try to better understand how failures in urban systems affect access to urban services for marginalized groups and how these inequalities can translate into health risks during and after crises. I am particularly interested in developing more equitable and accessible systems for resilient cities that prioritize inclusion and sustainability.
I’m a researcher from Brazil, and my work sits at the crossroads of disaster risk reduction, WASH, and resilient urban structures. I am driven by a commitment to equity and sustainability in city systems. I first fell in love with thinking about cities and social inequality during my BA in Social Sciences back home (in Porto Alegre), and that curiosity led me to continue studying. I pursued my MA in Montpellier, France, went on an Erasmus to Charles University in Prague, Czechia, and then moved to Berlin, Germany, for my Ph.D. During my doctorate, I was supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung scholarship and recognized with the DAAD Prize for outstanding research. During my doctoral journey, I had the chance to work in Japan through JSPS funding, which really expanded how I think about urban governance and disaster risk reduction strategies. I was also honored to be part of the Falling Walls Fellows for ERC, where I connected with thinkers across disciplines pushing bold ideas on cities and climate risk.
My research blends GIS and policy analysis to understand how infrastructures and governance shape cities’ capacity to withstand and recover from extreme weather events, with a focus on who gets left out and why. I also focus on using decolonial and post-colonial authors in my research, as I believe decolonization might be a way forward. I am especially interested in developing systems that make resilient cities more equitable and accessible, ones that prioritize inclusion and sustainability. Across projects, geography, and methods, I’m always chasing work that I believe (or at least hope) can make a meaningful contribution to a fairer world.