I am a Professor in International Migration and Racial Justice. I have led publicly funded research across a broad range of public policy, including access, experiences and outcomes of  housing, (mental) health and social care services and participation in the labour market and creative industries.  Funders of my research include the UKRI, the European Commission, the NHS, Scottish Government, quasi-governmental organisations and charitable organisations, such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

I am currently PI of the Protecting Minority Ethnic Communities Online (PRIME) project, a UKRI project which has been funded by the Strategic Priorities funding programme. PRIME consists of a consortium of five universities led by Heriot Watt University (Cranfield University, the Open University and the Universities of Glasgow and York), working in partnership with community organisations and government. The project examines the impact of  digitalisation on three deeply connected services, that is, health, housing and energy supply. More information about the project can be found here: https://www.primecommunities.online/about.

I am also a Commissioner on the Lancet Commission for Health, Migration and Climate Change.  The Commission is a partnership between the World Health Summit Academic Alliance (a global network of academic organisations) and Lancet Regional Health-Europe. It is aimed at addressing the impacts of climate change on the health of migrants and refugees in the context of the European Region. It will examine prevention, mitigation and adaptation aspects relating to both originating and hosting countries.

Policy Engagement

Internationally, I have worked with a wide range of organisations including the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the EU-funded MIEUX (Migration EU eXpertise), a global initiative which fosters and advances international cooperation to regional organisations, central and local authorities, and civil society organisations.

I currently act in an advisory capacity to UK Research and Innovation, the public body responsible for the direction and funding of research in the country. My work here is particularly focused on social and economic issues through membership of the Economic and Social Research Council's Strategic Advisory Network. I regularly advise on new calls for research and review applications for large programmes of research.

I have served as Commissioner with the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland, whose work promotes the rights of people with mental illness, learning disabilities, dementia and related conditions and ensures that they have appropriate support to live the life of their choice. In that capacity, I served as Chair of its Equality and Diversity Working Group. 

I have also advised several governmental committees, most recently the Scottish Government's Expert Reference Group on Covid-19 and Ethnicity, and the Labour Market Strategy Group. I have presented expert evidence on several occasisions, including to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence and the Scottish Parliament's Equalities and Human Rights Committee. 

In the early stages of my academic career, I served as Chair of an Edinburgh-based women's health project called Nari Kalllyan Shango. In this role, I gained deep understanding of the valuable work undertaken by grassroots organisations in filling the gaps left by public services. 

Following completion of my PhD in Applied Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh, I transitioned to the social sciences through several research related posts, the last of which was as Director of the Scottish Ethnic Minorities Research Unit in the School of Planning and Housing at Edinburgh College of Art. I then moved to Heriot Watt University where I have worked in a more academic role. I continue to work primarily at the interface between sociology and social policy while actively seeking opportunities to work across disciplines, institutions and countries.