Matthea de Jong has joined KIN as a Fellow in Transformative Imagination

Until last year, Matthea was director of Tolhuistuin. There, she gave a major boost to linking art and culture with climate issues, including through the We Are Warming Up festival. Through her involvement as an initiator and board member of Bureau Burgerberaad, she also played a key role in the establishment of the Burgerberaad Klimaat. At KIN, she will focus on setting up a new programme aimed at linking climate science to the power of imagination. In addition, she will be exploring in the coming period how we can increase the influence of climate science on politics.

Matthea: “I am delighted to be able to contribute to KIN’s mission and to use my knowledge of art and climate to link climate science to the power of imagination. KIN is not about conducting more research, but about how science can accelerate the necessary societal and systemic changes. I was moved by the urgency that KIN stands for, and the courage to dare to innovate its own scientific approach, simply because the world around us demands it. I also share the conviction that collaboration is key, both within the academic world and across sectors: for knowledge, experience, perspectives, application and support. But above all, the hopeful message that KIN stands for: climate change is irreversible, but we can still prevent the worst consequences.”

KIN Fellows connect, broaden and make knowledge accessible for transitions. They are strong connectors with experience in setting up cross-sectoral programmes that focus on the link between theory and practice.