With over 13.000 alumni worldwide, the IHS Alumni Network gathers international experts in urban development from across the globe. In this series we reconnect with some familiar faces and find out more about their professional path after graduation. Meet Chuma, who completed the Urban Management and Development master’s programme at IHS and is now making an impact as a knowledge integration specialist.
Meet Chuma
Originally from South Africa, Chuma began her career as an urban planner working in policy, strategy development , and research, often collaborating with municipalities and government institutions. From a young age, Chuma developed a passion for understanding how inherited systems of inequality continue to shape communities and sought to use research as a foundation for more data-driven policy solutions. She now works as a Gluon Researcher, which is a knowledge integration role where she gets to experiment with different inter-and transdisciplinary methods to bring different parties to work together on in knowledge co-production endeavours.
Learning with (and from) the IHS community
Joining the UMD 2023 cohort, one of the largest in IHS history, was both demanding and inspiring. Chuma entered a learning environment full of different perspectives, ideas and a strong shared purpose. Through conversations with her classmates, she began to notice how many urban challenges are universal. Issues such as safety, dignity and fair access to opportunities connect people and communities, no matter where they come from. The programme also deepened her understanding of how global issues, including conflict and inequality, can shape decisions made at the local level.
I came to realise that we are not as different as I once believed. At our core, most of us seek what is right and fair, we want to feel safe, and we are driven by the same fundamental human needs.
From classroom to city impact
During her master’s studies, Chuma developed a growing interest in how global institutions address urban health and well-being. Inspired by the work of the World Health Organization, she began to view urbanism and urban well-being through a broader and more interconnected perspective. This shift encouraged her to seek opportunities that combined local understanding with international collaboration, eventually leading her to Resilient Delta initiative, part of the Convergence Alliance between Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus MC and TU Delft.
The first research initiative she joined focused on understanding health inequalities and well-being in urban environments, particularly within Rotterdam’s predominantly immigrant and lower-income communities. This initiative does this by integrating knowledge from a social science university, a medical university and an institute specialising in spatial engineering and architecture, the initiative examines how different aspects of urban life shape health outcomes. It aims to identify which combinations of social, physical and institutional conditions enable healthier lives, and why some communities face persistent challenges despite existing policies and investments.
Working with consortia
Chuma's work aims to bridge divides by experimenting and reflecting on techniques that enable researchers from contrasting fields to collaborate and develop shared knowledge that may not surface within traditional academic structures.
She, for instance, works with consortia within the Resilient Delta initiative and identifies the different forms of knowledge present in these groups. These teams often bring together individuals from varied backgrounds and thematic areas, yet they focus on a common research objective. Chuma explores ways to support them in integrating their expertise. Her task is to develop approaches that connect these efforts and create opportunities for meaningful collaboration. The work is both challenging and rewarding. It requires technical understanding, strategic coordination and strong interpersonal skills to bridge methodological and cultural differences. By facilitating dialogue across disciplines, Chuma supports a more holistic approach to urban research and helps ensure that complex findings can be translated into practical, informed action.
Projects on the desk
Chuma contributes to two major projects within the Resilient Delta initiative.
SPRING Consortium: This is a large, overarching research programme that explores the complex factors influencing health and well-being. It brings together several related research projects, each with its own timeline, under a shared vision that connects and strengthens the collective work.
Just Green: This is a regional project involving seven European cities and funded by Interreg Europe. It has defined deliverables and began in March 2024 as a four-year initiative, now nearing its halfway point. The project focuses on inclusive greening practices, encouraging cities not only to respond to climate change and mitigation, but to do so in a fair and equitable manner. It places particular emphasis on identifying vulnerable communities and ensuring they are included in decision-making around climate strategies. The project is expected to conclude in 2028.
The skills that make it work
Chuma explains that the people she studied with at IHS have become more than classmates; they now form an international network and extended family, providing knowledge support and collaboration across different parts of the world. Reflecting on her experience, she advises international students to step beyond the university setting and engage more actively with local life in the Netherlands. Although English is widely spoken, gaining an understanding of Dutch culture and everyday norms can make it easier to build connections and navigate work or research environments. For many students, these small insights become a meaningful and memorable part of their IHS journey.
