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Dr. Siobhan Magee is a Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh's School of Social and Political Science. She holds a PhD from Edinburgh and has held postdoctoral positions at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. Her research focuses on kinship, marriage, gender, and material culture, with fieldwork conducted in Poland, the UK, and the US. She is currently completing a book on marriage in the US and exploring topics like children's biographies, philanthropy in higher education, and sun protection in Scotland. Teaching responsibilities include courses on the Anthropology of Sex and Reproduction, Kinship, and Ethnographies of the US. She coordinates the Kinship Hub and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations on themes like transnational relationships and inclusive education. Dr. Magee is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has published extensively on topics ranging from Polish fur trade dynamics to graphic memoirs and legal marriage frameworks. Education: PhD, MSc, and BA in Social Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh. Research Themes: Kinship and relatedness, gender/sexuality, material culture, US political anthropology, and children's narratives. Current Projects: Philanthropy in universities, sun protection policies, and children's biographical literature. Her work bridges intimate relationships and broader socio-political contexts, emphasizing ethical and historical dimensions. She has contributed to academic journals like Cultural Anthropology and Current Anthropology , and her research has been featured in media including BBC Radio 4.

• Kinship Studies
• Marriage and Family Dynamics
• Gender and Sexuality
• +8 more

Tracey Reynolds is Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Greenwich, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and serves as Associate Dean for Research & Knowledge Exchange. She directs the Institute for Inclusive Communities and Environments, focusing her research on Black and racialised migrant families, social capital, and policy impacts. Faculty affiliation: Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences Research areas: Migration, race/ethnicity, family dynamics, community resilience, participatory methodologies Her research spans comparative studies across the UK, Caribbean, and North America, with emphasis on community engagement and creative co-productions addressing social inclusion. Projects include AHRC-funded initiatives on migrant community resilience during the pandemic and ESRC-funded participatory arts research (2016-2018). Reynolds has over 80 publications, including books like Caribbean Mothers (2005) and Transnational Families (2010), and special journal issues on migrant motherhood and citizenship. She is recognized nationally through exhibitions like Phenomenal Women (2020) and holds fellowships from the Academy of Social Sciences and Royal Society of Arts.

• Social Sciences
• Sociology
• Migration Studies
• +4 more

Fiona McCall is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth , affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences and the School of Area Studies, Sociology, History, Politics and Literature . She is associated with the Centre of Excellence for Heritage Innovation and the Centre for European & International Studies Research , working from Park Building, Portsmouth. Her research spans the English Civil War and Interregnum period, focusing on clergy communities, religious practices, loyalist experiences, and societal conflicts. Key themes include the impact of war on family structures, local religious tolerance/intolerance, and secular legal responses to religious offenses. Recent publications analyze baptismal divisions, clergy resilience, and post-war reconstruction. She has authored articles in journals like Studies in Church History and The Seventeenth Century , and edited works such as Church and People in Interregnum Britain . Her book Baal's Priests examines loyalist clergy during the English Revolution. McCall engages in peer-reviewed contributions, book reviews, and scholarly editions, often exploring historical documentation and memory. She actively accepts PhD students, though specific advisees are not listed in the provided materials.

• English Civil War
• Interregnum Britain
• Religious Practice
• +3 more

Chris Forde is Professor of Employment Studies at the University of Leeds , affiliated with the Leeds University Business School and Department of People, Work and Employment . He co-directs the Centre for Employment Relations Innovation and Change and serves as Deputy Director of the ESRC Digital Futures at Work Research Centre . His career spans multiple leadership roles, including former Head of the Work and Employment Relations Division. BA Economics and Management (First Class Honours), University of Leeds (1993) MA Economics, University of Leeds (1994) PhD, Leeds University Business School (1998) Forde's research investigates the evolution of work structures , focusing on temporary work , migrant labor dynamics , platform economy challenges , and labour market regulation . His work examines intersections between job quality , worker well-being , and business policy lobbying , employing mixed-method approaches across sectors like healthcare and aerospace. His recent publications and projects include analyses of NHS migrant workforce adaptations during Brexit and pandemic crises, union responses to post-Brexit labor shortages , and labour market reforms in Saudi Arabia. As Co-Director of the Digit Data Observatory , he leads digital work futures research. Co-investigator, ESRC Labour Mobility in Transition (LiMITS) project Co-investigator, EU Horizon 2020 Skills4Justice Project 20+ successfully supervised doctoral students Founding member, Leeds Migration Research Network

• Work
• Future of Work
• Migration
• +9 more

Regina Poertner is Associate Professor in History at Swansea University’s School of Culture and Communication. A Rhodes Scholar with a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford, she has held research fellowships at the German Historical Institute London and the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History. Research Interests Early-modern history (1450–1800) History of law and legal reform Western political thought Counter-Reformation and constitutional debates Her work explores how legal ideas shaped society and economy, ranging from Habsburg confessional policies to British family entails and Tudor portraiture. Recent Publications & Trends Poertner’s recent articles and reviews (2021-24) centre on the historiography of human rights, Tudor monastic dissolution, and Christian jurisprudence, reflecting sustained engagement with legal-intellectual history and interdisciplinary methodologies. Awards & Grants Helmut-Coing Prize (2008) AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership “Redeeming Death” (PI, £76,590, 2016-20) British Academy and various international research grants Postgraduate Supervision & Teaching She currently supervises two PhD projects on nationalism in the English Civil War and on mortality & portraiture in Tudor England & Wales. Her taught modules span methodological training, historiography, and thematic surveys from the Enlightenment to twentieth-century America. Collaborations & Outreach Poertner collaborates with the National Portrait Gallery and National Trust, and welcomes new partnerships across the public and private sectors.

• Early Modern History (1450–1800)
• History of Law
• Western Political Thought
• +3 more

Maxim Bolt is an Associate Professor of Development Studies at the University of Oxford's Department of International Development (ODID). He also holds positions as a Research Associate at the Wits Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of the Witwatersrand, and a Senior Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of African Studies and Anthropology at the University of Birmingham. Previously, he worked at the University of Birmingham and the British Museum, where he conducted fieldwork for the 'Money in Africa' project. Bolt's research focuses on economic anthropology in southern Africa, particularly examining labor, migration, borders, money, property inheritance, class, and the state. His early work investigated South Africa's border with Zimbabwe, focusing on commercial agriculture, black workforces, and white landowners during Zimbabwe's economic and political crisis. His current research explores property inheritance, state institutions, and class reproduction in Johannesburg, analyzing how inheritance processes connect to kinship, property, and legal systems in post-apartheid South Africa. Bolt's publication record reveals a consistent focus on economic anthropology with growing emphasis on legal anthropology and urban studies. His earlier works centered on border studies, farm labor, and migration patterns, while recent publications increasingly address property law, inheritance systems, and urban governance in South Africa. His research shows a clear trajectory from examining labor relations in rural border contexts to analyzing how legal frameworks shape urban property relations and class formation. Scientific Awards Recipient of the 2016 British Sociological Association / BBC Thinking Allowed Ethnography Award for 'Zimbabwe's Migrants and South Africa's Border Farms: The Roots of Impermanence' Shortlisted for the 2016 Herskovits Prize (African Studies Association, USA) Shortlisted for the 2016 biennial Fage and Oliver Prize (African Studies Association of the UK) Delivered the prestigious Malinowski Memorial Lecture in 2018 Bolt serves as a doctoral supervisor for DPhil projects taking ethnographic approaches to economic life, state institutions, and formal/informal institutions, primarily focused on African contexts. His research has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK. He has previously held editorial positions as Editor of AFRICA: Journal of the International African Institute and the Journal of Southern African Studies , and currently serves on the editorial boards of these journals plus African Studies Review . Bolt's scholarly work demonstrates strong institutional connections across British and South African academic networks, with particular emphasis on how legal frameworks intersect with everyday economic practices in urban South Africa, especially regarding property inheritance and class reproduction in the post-apartheid context.

• Labour
• Migration
• Borders
• +7 more

Dr. Paul Rees is an Associate Professor in Social Work at Swansea University’s School of Health and Social Care. He holds a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Manchester and advanced qualifications in Clinical Pediatric Neuropsychology (UCL) and Educational Psychology (Swansea University). His professional registrations include Chartered Psychologist (British Psychological Society), Registered Practising Psychologist (HCPC), and Registered Expert Witness. He co-chairs the International Crisis Response Network of psychologists. Education: Doctorate in Psychology (University of Manchester) MSc (Distinction) Clinical Pediatric Neuropsychology (UCL) MEd (Distinction) Educational Psychology (Swansea University) Bachelor of Psychology (Bangor University) PGCE in State School Teaching (Swansea University) Research Focus: Dr. Rees specializes in safeguarding children, looked-after children’s education, and social work education. His work addresses child welfare systems, mental health interventions, and policy impacts on vulnerable youth. Notable contributions include studies on foster care outcomes, kinship care effectiveness, and interprofessional collaboration in child services. Key Publications: Recent works include analyses of educational attainment in looked-after children, prisoner mental health factors, and inter-professional capabilities in social work trainees. He has contributed chapters to edited volumes on child care and policy in Wales. Awards & Recognition: Quality Assurance Award (Leadership and Management Institute), alongside professional certifications highlighting his dual academic and clinical expertise. Teaching: Leads modules on Human Growth and Development, Social Work in Practice, and advanced research methods. His pedagogy integrates neuroscientific insights with practical social work skills. Engagement: Advises on childcare sufficiency assessments (Swansea) and collaborates internationally on crisis response strategies. His research emphasizes real-world impact, bridging academic rigor with policy implementation.

• Clinical Pediatric Neuropsychology
• Educational Psychology
• Social Work Education
• +5 more

Dr Marcin W. Smietana is a Researcher in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with the Reproductive Sociology Research Group (ReproSoc). His work focuses on LGBTQ+ family formation through transnational surrogacy and adoption, integrating perspectives from queer theory, reproductive justice, and critical animal studies. Coordinates the 'Changing In/Fertilities' project (Wellcome Trust funded) on fertility behaviors among LGBTQ+ individuals Conducted EU-funded comparative studies on surrogacy in the U.S. and Spain Co-edited a special issue on 'Making Families: Transnational Surrogacy, Queer Kinship and Reproductive Justice' Current book project examines gay men's reproductive decision-making in transnational contexts His interdisciplinary research bridges sociology, queer theory, and critical animal studies, with emerging interests in queer ecologies and human-nonhuman reproduction relationships.

• Sociology of Reproduction
• Queer Studies
• Transnational Surrogacy
• +4 more

Dr. Marie-Claire Barnet is a Researcher at the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Durham University. Her work focuses on 20th-21st Century French Literature, Visual Art, Gender Studies, and Critical Theory, with a particular emphasis on the intersections of autobiography, self-portraiture, and word-image interactions. Research Themes: Contemporary French literature, feminist reinterpretation of art, interdisciplinary approaches to visual culture, and theoretical engagements with space/gender. Key Collaborations: Co-editor of special issues on women’s spatial conceptualizations, contributor to studies on Agnès Varda and Marie NDiaye. Her recent publications (2020) analyze plural readings in film, gender critiques in museum contexts, and collaborative narrative frameworks. Earlier works explore surrealism’s legacy, suburban geographies in French cinema, and the fantastic in women’s writing.

• 20th-21st Century French Literature
• Visual Art
• Gender Studies
• +4 more

Karen Sykes is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Manchester and a Fellow of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge (2000–present). She holds visiting positions at institutions like the Australian National University and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris. Her research focuses on moral economy, transnational kinship, and Pacific studies, particularly in Papua New Guinea and North Queensland. She has led major projects like the Domestic Moral Economy study (2011–2015) and the Planning for Later Life project (2014–present). Education : PhD, Princeton University (1995) M.A., University of Western Ontario (1987) B.Soc.Sc. & B.Ed., University of Western Ontario (1983–1984) Research Interests : Moral economy, transnational families, Pacific anthropology, anthropological theory, history of anthropology. Grants & Collaborations : Domestic Moral Economy (ESRC-funded) Planning for Later Life (Australian Research Council) Advising : Supervises PhD students in social reconstruction, anthropology of knowledge, and intergenerational relations. Programme Director for the Master’s in Social Anthropology.

• Social Anthropology
• Cultural Anthropology
• Anthropological Theory
• +4 more

Henrike Donner is a Professor of Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she has served since 2015. Previously, she held positions at the London School of Economics (LSE), Georg-August Universität Göttingen, and Oxford Brookes University. Her research focuses on urban anthropology, gender, kinship, and class dynamics, with a particular emphasis on middle-class identities and urban politics in India. She leads projects addressing housing access for marginalized communities and has conducted fieldwork in Kolkata, examining topics such as reproductive labor, consumer culture, and neoliberalism's impact on social structures. Education: PhD in Social Anthropology (LSE, 1999), MA in Social Anthropology (LMU Munich, 1992) Projects: Principal Investigator for 'A Room for Ones Own' (UKRI-funded, 2018–2020) and 'Austerity Bites: Food Stories from Lewisham' (2016) Publications: Authored/edited books like Domestic Goddesses (2008), Being Middle-class in India (2011), and Globalising Everyday Consumption in India (2021) Her current research explores gendered labor and housing access in Kolkata's marginalized neighborhoods, blending ethnographic methods with feminist theory. She supervises doctoral students on themes such as class, kinship, and urban politics.

• Urban Anthropology
• Gender Studies
• Kinship Studies
• +3 more

Chigusa Yamaura is a Departmental Lecturer at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, University of Oxford. She specializes in sociocultural anthropology with a focus on gender, cross-border marriage, and demographic transformations in East Asia. Her research examines topics such as motherhood in Japan, childcare provision in shrinking populations, and transnational relationships between Japan and Northeast China. Her key publications include Marriage and Marriageability: The Practices of Cross-Border Matchmaking Between Men from Japan and Women from Northeast China (2020) and articles on Japanese nationalism, demographic policy, and transnational marriage migration. Current research explores shifting conceptions of motherhood amid Japan’s demographic decline. Her work bridges anthropology and policy analysis, addressing how cultural norms intersect with demographic shifts and state policies. Media engagements include book recommendations on Japan studies .

• Anthropology
• Gender Studies
• Cross-border Marriage
• +4 more

Dr. Liz McDonnell is an Associate Professor in Sociology and Criminology at the School of Law, Politics and Sociology, University of Sussex, where she has been a faculty member since 2013 and affiliated since 2004. She teaches research methods in the MA Gender Studies program and courses on sexualities and intersections for undergraduate students. She also holds leadership roles as co-director of the Centre for Gender Studies and chair of the EDI Committee in LPS. Her educational background includes a BA in Sociology/Social Anthropology from the University of East Anglia, an MA in Criminology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Writing from the University of Melbourne, and a PhD in Sociology from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Her research spans personal life, identity, institutional cultures, social inequalities, and health, with a strong emphasis on qualitative methodologies and research ethics. Dr. McDonnell’s research interests focus on pro-social behaviors, generosity, asexuality, intimate relationships, hate crimes, and institutional cultures. Her recent work explores human giving during the pandemic and the effects of legal aid cuts on the Criminal Cases Review Commission. She has led interdisciplinary projects with Law and Criminology colleagues and continues to contribute to research culture development in UK universities. Her publication record shows a consistent trajectory in themes of asexuality, research ethics, and social connectedness. Articles such as 'Asexual isn't who I am' and 'Negotiating the boundaries of intimacy' reflect her deep engagement with identity and intimacy, while recent works on generosity during the pandemic indicate a shift toward positive sociology. Her methodological expertise in qualitative research, particularly diary and interview methods, is evident across her publications. She has received competitive research grants from the British Academy, ESRC, and the University of Sussex, supporting projects on generosity in the time of COVID-19, legal aid impacts, and post-referendum societal shifts. She is also an associate consultant for Research Coach, collaborating with Imperial College on research culture development. Dr. McDonnell has supervised numerous research projects and contributed to institutional ethics as Chair of the Social Science and Arts Research Ethics Committee (2017–2020). She is a member of the Academic Advisory Group for APP Evaluations at the University of Sussex. Her work bridges sociology, criminology, gender studies, and health, demonstrating a commitment to interdisciplinary, ethics-informed, and socially impactful research. She is affiliated with the Centre for Gender Studies and contributes to collaborative research networks, particularly around equality, diversity, and inclusion. Her ongoing work with universities aims to transform institutional cultures and support researcher well-being, especially in relation to gender equity.

• Sociology
• Criminology
• Gender Studies
• +13 more

Maya Unnithan is a Professor of Social and Medical Anthropology at the University of Sussex, affiliated with the School of Global Studies and Department of Anthropology. She has been faculty since 1991 and currently serves as Head of Department and Director of the Centre for Cultures of Reproduction, Technologies & Health (CORTH). Her research focuses on reproductive health, gender politics, biopolitics, and bodily autonomy across India and the UK. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Rajasthan and explored topics like infertility, surrogacy, abortion, and prenatal sex selection. Her work bridges global health norms with local contexts, examining how reproductive rights are interpreted and contested. 2025: "The Undue Importance of Marriage in India's Current Surrogacy Legislation" (Amicus Curiae) 2024: "Anthropology and Subaltern Historiography" (Discover Society) 2023: "Anthropology of Abortion" (Wiley) 2023: "Only parents can understand thalassaemia needs" (Anthropology & Medicine) 2022: "Substantial Relations: Making Global Reproductive Medicine in Postcolonial India" (Springer) 2022: "Conflicted reproductive governance" (Springer) 2021: "Arbitrating abortion in England" (Medical Anthropology) 2020: "Gender politics in Rajasthan" (Discourses of Development) 2019: "Fertility, Health and Reproductive Politics" (Routledge monograph) 2018: "Re-situating abortion in neoliberal times" (Global Public Health) 2018: "Re-visioning evidence on UK sex selection" (Global Public Health) 2015: "Bodily rights and collective claims" (Health & Human Rights) 2014: "On reproductive justice in India" (Culture, Health & Sexuality) 2014: "Challenges translating human rights" (Development and Change) 2013: Review of Maraesa's reproductive anthropology (Ethos) Unnithan has received significant funding including: 2025-2027: LEVERHULME TRUST - "Reproductive freedom and ethics" 2023: BRITISH ACADEMY - "Articulations of Communal Harmony in Kerala" 2022-2024: Norwegian Research Council - "Reporting in context" maternal health initiative 2017-2021: ESRC - "Son preference and sex selection in the UK" 2016-2020: ESRC - "Inherited blood disorders and genomics in India" 2009-2012: ESRC - "Realising Global Rights to Health" 2018: WHO Safe Abortion Guidance participation 2013: WHO maternal health evidence monograph contribution 2015-2018: UK Reproductive Health Leadership Forum advisor 2015-2018: APPG on Reproductive Health evidence submissions She co-founded CORTH in 2014 to facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue on reproductive politics and health technologies. The center has fostered international collaborations with researchers from Norway, Tanzania, Ethiopia, India, Bangladesh, and Ghana, including knowledge exchange programs and a Memorandum of Understanding. Unnithan's work explores how gender values migrate across borders and shift over generations, impacting reproductive healthcare access and policy implementation.

• Medical Anthropology
• Reproductive Health
• Gender Studies
• +9 more

Dr April Pudsey is a Reader in Roman History and Deputy Director at Manchester Metropolitan University's interdisciplinary Manchester Centre for Youth Studies . Her work focuses on children's and women's lives in Graeco-Roman Egypt through papyrology and material culture analysis, connecting ancient childcare practices to broader demographic and environmental patterns. Key research areas: Roman Egypt, child slavery, breastfeeding practices, ancient demography Leadership roles: Founding Chair of Post92classics, Co-Chair of Women's Classical Committee Major grants: €280,000 Marie-Sklodowska Curie Fellowship (2021-23), AHRC £380,000 project co-Investigator Her Children of Oxyrhynchos book (Palgrave MacMillan, 2025) synthesizes research on youth cultures from thousands of papyri. She also served as Historical Consultant for Ladybird Books and Hachette Children's Group publications. Recent publications span topics including: 2023 : Global history of youth 2022 : Enslaved children's experiences 2021 : 3D-replicated Roman musical instruments 2017 : Disability studies in antiquity Scientific awards include: Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (2009-11) AHRB Studentships (2001-2006, 2003-06) External examiner roles at Exeter University and Birkbeck College

• Roman History
• Ancient Demography
• Children's Cultures
• +7 more