Biography
I am a Lecturer in Human Geography, REF Lead for UoA20 (Social Work and Social Policy) and former Research Lead for the Social Sciences Subject Group.
I am currently PI on the RSE-funded project “On the Margins” - www.onthemargins.org.uk, a 2-year project (2023-2025) that brings together academics, practitioners and activists involved in collaborative research, participatory methods and knowledge co-production, with a specific focus on marginalised groups and communities. From 2020-2022, I was PI on the ESRC-funded project: “Investigating the use of temporary accommodation to house asylum seekers and refugees during the Covid-19 outbreak.” https://tempacco.wordpress.com/. This was a 14 months collaborative study exploring the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on asylum seekers and refugees living in Glasgow.
My research interests lie in the field of migration studies, a major subfield within Human Geography, and are broadly concerned with understanding different processes of othering and racialisation that affect migrants’ everyday lives.
My publications have covered a wide range of topics including risks and insecurities; race and ethnicity; civil society and participation; place making and belonging; asylum housing and inequality; online networks and transnationalism; Brexit and EU migration. In recent years I have published several articles in top ranking, high quality journals in the field of migration such as Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies; Ethnic and Racial Studies; Sociology; Geoforum; Population, Space and Place.
My portfolio of research outputs also includes innovative and creative work such as the research documentary “I’m Still Here” (2022), a participatory film that was co-produced with asylum seekers as part of the ESRC-funded project, and a new series of podcast on the art of doing collaborative research.
My work is interdisciplinary and collaborative; since 2020 I have been working closely with MORE (Migrants Organising for Rights and Empowerment), creating and leading four collaborative and impactful projects, thus establishing a strong and lasting partnership with grassroots communities.
Prior to joining Edinburgh Napier University, I held the position of WISERD Post-doctoral Research Associate at Aberystwyth University on two ESRC-funded projects. In 2015, I was a visiting research fellow at the Institute of Globalization and Multicultural Studies at Hanyang University in Seoul. I completed an ESRC-funded PhD at the University of Glasgow in 2015.
SUPERVISION:
I am happy to consider research proposals and supervise students interested in pursuing postgraduate research in any of my areas of expertise.
Completed PhD students:
Kyle Schwartz (2018-2024 ) Disaster and everyday life: Dynamics of vulnerability and resilience among Tibetan refugees in the 2015 Nepal earthquake (with Dr Kiril Sharapov (DoS) and Prof Richard Whitecross