Dr. Shams Hamid
Shams Hamid, Ph.D. is a philosopher, educator, futurist, and poet, known for his work on both international and domestic stages. He is the Founding Director of IMAGINE: Institute of Futures Studies, training over 10,000 students since 2019. He is the former Dean of Social Sciences at Iqra University (2019–2024) where he integrated Futures Studies, Critical Thinking, and Ethics into the curriculum, and developed digital infrastructure for remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis.
Shams has had the pleasure of collaborating with a number of major international agencies such as UNESCO, ICESCO, COMSTECH, USAID, UNICEF, the World Bank, and the European Commission. He also contributed to USAID's educational reforms in Pakistan, focusing on curriculum design across 23 districts. Watch Dr. Shams Hamid – Message | UNESCO Chair Launch at NWU.
A key area of Shams’s work centers around the problem of how to optimally cultivate the next generation of futurists and innovators. Under his tenure, Iqra University made Introduction to Futures Studies a required course for all disciplines. Though Shams’s most recent work primarily takes place in Pakistan, the applications of his work and the problems considered are truly global.
In this pursuit, he leverages his philosophical and research background in combination with his leadership skills to mobilize others and publish thought-provoking articles and research. This is best exemplified through his founding of the IMAGINE: Institute of Futures Studies and his hosting of the Futures Talks series on the Institute’s YouTube channel. His Futures Talks series interviews scientists and academics pushing humanity into a brighter tomorrow. Watch Futures Talks with Dr. Ralph Mercer.
Shams has been a consistent contributor of intriguing ideas and concepts into the global Futures Thinking discourse. An example of this is his development of the III Approach, an innovative scenario-planning framework that blends intuition with a disciplined structure. The III Approach unfolds in three stages: Interaction, where diverse perspectives are collected through collaboration; Interpretation, where intuition helps analyze these inputs to imagine future possibilities, tempered by checks against biases like groupthink; and Innovation, where practical, ethical strategies are developed.
The III Approach stands out for merging creative foresight with systematic rigor, making it a powerful tool for ethical decision-making. Read Evaluating The Role and Biases of Intuition in The Scenario Planning Process Through The III Approach.
His publications, such as his chapter Futures Thinking and Futures Literacy, recently published in Digital Futures in Human-Computer Interaction, are timely and significant additions to the field. In Futures Thinking and Future Literacy, Shams conducts an interdisciplinary examination of how Futures Thinking applied to Human-Computer Interaction can inform the creation of government policies and corporate strategies. He pursues this through an investigation of the topic using Casual Layered Analysis and UNESCO’s FL Framework.
Though his educational efforts are heavily focused within the sub-field of Futures Thinking, Shams is also concerned with the pedagogical experiences and outcomes of both students and educators within Pakistan. An example of this is his research regarding the Perceptions of School Headmasters Regarding their Leadership Performance Assessments. As a result of the information gleaned during this study, he was able to identify issues within public school leadership in Sindh and propose potential solutions.
Shams's personal educational background is rooted in philosophy, beginning with a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Philosophy from Karachi University, which he completed between 1985 and 1990. His dedication to the field drove him to further his studies, earning a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Philosophy from Hamdard University between 1995 and 1998. This academic journey provided a strong foundation in philosophical thought, which is a strong theme throughout his work.
Shams is a respected speaker, invited to numerous conferences as an honored guest. His global presence was notably marked at the 24th World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF) Conference in Berlin in 2021, where he delivered a presentation titled Imagining Futures with Imaginables, which explored the importance of imagination to Future Studies.
In 2022, he organized the IMAGINE Climate Justice Conference, focusing on climate adaptation and futures literacy. Shams has also been invited to present at distinguished venues, including ICESCO’s Strategic Roundtable in Baku in 2024, Tsinghua University in Beijing in 2023, Politecnico di Milano and Carnegie Mellon University for Design Futures in 2022, and Northwestern University for Regenerative Futures in 2023, where he shared insights on ethical innovation and long-term societal planning. In 2023, Shams also issued public support during the launch of Northwestern University’s first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) University Twinning and Networking Scheme (UNITWIN) Chair Program.
In the non-academic sphere, Shams is active in exploring and contributing to the world through his artistic pursuits. As an avid poet and writer, he shares melodious Urdu poetry recitations and thought pieces online. Shams is also a talented producer, being responsible for the creation of the award-winning short film The Prisoner (which debuted at the Kara Film Festival). Read Imagination Was Here.
Shams’s multifaceted career weaves together futures studies, education, philosophy, and the arts, reflecting his dedication to fostering creative and ethical innovation. His work — spanning the training of thousands of futurists, shaping global educational reforms, and introducing frameworks like the III Approach — highlights a deep commitment to preparing humanity for tomorrow’s challenges. As a thinker, educator, and poet, he bridges imagination with action, inspiring us to envision and build a hopeful, sustainable future.
Watch Dr. Shams Hamid – Message | UNESCO Chair Launch at NWU, Futures Talks with Dr. Ralph Mercer, Future Talks with Dr. Josef Spillner, The Prisoner, and Imagining Futures with Imaginables.
Read Digital Futures in Human-Computer Interaction, The Imagination's Exile and Brief Return, Evaluating The Role and Biases of Intuition in The Scenario Planning Process Through The III Approach, and Imagination Was Here.
Keep up with Shams’s work by following his Linkedin, X, YouTube, and Google Scholar Pages. Follow his work with the IMAGINE Institute by following their Facebook and Instagram pages!