I work on contemporary future fictions and science fiction from a science and technology perspective. I work on multiple media, including texts, graphic novels, films and tv, video games, and visual arts.
My work *back in the day* has been on the connections between literature, science, and technology, especially in the colonial period. I spent a year (2014-15) post-PhD pursuing a bachelors degree in zoology, which I quit to pursue three years of postdoctoral research on modern medical databases, infrastructures, and classification systems. My plan is to finish that degree someday...
I have led two EU (ERC Starting Grant and ERC Proof of Concept) and two Norwegian Research Council (NFR FRIPRO-YRT and NFR-FORSTERK) grants. I established and run the Holodeck (the Games and New Media Research Lab), which is the University of Oslo's only lab dedicated to research on video games. I have written numerous essays and articles, as well as written, edited, and translated books on my core area of research. My work has been translated into ten languages.
I am co-founder and former manager of Theory from the Margins, which has developed into a research collective with over 16,000 members and followers worldwide. I have produced the documentary film Kalpavigyan: A Speculative Journey (2021), which has been screened in 12 film festivals worldwide, won three best documentary awards, and received several other recognitions. Notable awards and grants include grants from the European Research Council (2020), grants from the Norwegian Research Council (2018, 2020, 2022), the World Fantasy Award (2020), a top award in the field of speculative fiction, the Inter CircleU Prize for inter and trans-disciplinary research (2024), the Johannes H Berg Prize (2019) for fandom activities and SF popularization, the Foundation Essay Prize (2017), and the Strange Horizons Readers' Poll Award (2014).
FAQ
Supervision: I supervise and mentor research (Postdoc, PhD, MA, BA) in the field of speculative fiction (science fiction and fantasy), transmedial and contemporary narrative theory, culture studies (popular culture and theory), video games, futures research, comics studies, design and visual arts (connected to futures and speculative materials), and film studies. NOTE: I do not respond to general enquiries about PhD positions unless there are open advertised positions at our department. Please check vacancies at the department before contacting me.
Office hours: For colleagues at UiO: If I am not in meetings or at events, I am usually available 8AM - 4PM Oslo/Norway time. Note 1: Please book an appointment with me over email if you would like to meet. Note 2: I'm not available on email outside office hours.
How to address me in emails: Please don't call me "sir". Feel free to call me Bodhisattva or use the polite/formal Prof. Chattopadhyay. If in doubt, use the polite form. Here in Norway and generally Nordic contexts, we don't really care and calling people by their first name without asking for their permission first is usually fine. *Note that using first names or not using the polite form is often regarded extremely poorly in many other contexts, since there are gendered, ethnic, and ageist biases in how we choose to address people.1 2 3 4
Getting in touch
Collaborations: I collaborate with and am interested in collaborating with people across a range of disciplines. If you have an idea or project that requires science fiction or futures studies expertise, please feel free to write in!
Lectures / workshops: Depends on my schedule, but usually yes.
Translation and reprint rights: I am generally happy to offer permissions for translations and reprints. Just send me an email.
Committee work, promotion review etc: I am generally happy to review MA / PhD theses or promotion reviews in my chosen research areas.
ABOUT MY WORK
The projects I have led are:
‣ European Research Council H2020-StG project "CoFutures: Pathways to Possible Presents" (2020-24) (connect)
‣ European Research Council Proof of Concept "CoFutures Literacy" (2023-25)
‣ Climate Fiction and Climate Justice in South Asia, with Joey Eschrich and Vandana Singh, an anthology of original fiction and non-fiction interventions in the field of climate change focusing on South Asia.
‣ I am producer of the documentary film Kalpavigyan: A Speculative Journey, the first documentary on Bangla Kalpavigyan and Indian Science Fiction, directed by Arunava Gangopadhyay and co-scripted by us. The film, released in 2021, has been selected and awarded at numerous film festivals worldwide.
‣ I am co-founder of Theory from the Margins, a research collective based in Oslo which organizes webinars, with over 16000 members and followers worldwide.
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‣ 2018 - : I am Series Editor (with Taryne Jade Taylor) for the Routledge Book Series: Studies in Global Genre Fiction.
‣ 2021 - : I serve on the editorial advisory board of Fafnir: Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research.
‣ 2022 - : I serve on the advisory board of Bloomsbury Cultural History.
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‣ 2018 - : I am a fellow of the Imaginary College, Center for Science and the Imagination, Arizona State University (https://csi.asu.edu/imaginary-college/ ).
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I have taught futures and futuring workshops worldwide, and served as a consultant on national and international futures projects. I am also consultant with Project Unsung for the Innovations service at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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I have held fellowships and visiting researcher positions at the Center for Advanced Study at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (2018-19), at the Evoke Lab/Calit 2 and the Department of Informatics, University of California, Irvine (2015-16), as well as the Science Fiction Foundation, University of Liverpool (2011-12).
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Other academic projects I have led or am part of include Norwegian Research Council FRIPRO-YRT Project "Science Fictionality" (PI; 2020-24); Norwegian Research Council FORSTERK Project "Beyond Barcode" (PI; 2022-24); Lifetimes: A Natural History of the Present (NFR FRIPRO Toppforsk). (Co-I; 2018-23); Anthropogenic Soils (NFR Fellesløft). (As Co-I; 2022-2028); neoMONSTERS (EU H2020 MSCA 2021-23). (Advisor); Synchronizing the World (NFR-SAMKUL), Lifetimes of Epidemics (NFR-SAMKUL, as Co-I).
Artistic Research Projects have been The Kalpana: Maps and Prototypes of Science Fictional Presences, an artistic research project on the desert with artists Susanne M. Winterling and Goutam Ghosh (completed).
‣ I served as co-Editor-in-Chief of Fafnir: Nordic Journal of Fiction and Fantasy Research (Finfar, Finland), and as co-editor of the Journal of Science Fiction (MOSF, Washington, DC).