Parvati Nair

Professor Parvati Nair holds the position of Professor of Hispanic, Cultural, and Migration Studies at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). She also served as the Founding Director of the United Nations University Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility (UNU-GCM) in Barcelona (2012–2019) and later as Special Adviser on Migration at UNU in Bonn. Her academic journey includes roles such as Head of the School of Languages, Linguistics and Film at QMUL (2019–2022) and Director for Graduate Studies. She earned her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of London.

Her research focuses on migration, cultural studies, and visual representation, particularly through photography. Key interests include displacement, environmental breakdown, and the interplay between migration and media. She is Principal Editor of Crossings: Journal of Migration and Culture, co-authored policy reports on migration and pandemics, and contributed to the Model International Mobility Convention. Her work emphasizes ethical social justice and policy reform.

Notable publications include Displacement, Environments and Photo-politics in the Mediterranean: Migrant Sea (2024), A Different Light: The Photography of Sebastião Salgado (2011), and Configuring Community: Theories, Narratives and Practices of Community Identities in Contemporary Spain (2004). She has been recognized as a Member of the Academia Europea and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Nair’s professional engagements span academia and international policy, including roles with the UN Global Migration Group (2014–2018) and representation at the UN General Assembly for the Global Compact for Migration. Her work bridges critical theory, ethnography, and policy advocacy, addressing global challenges like refugee crises and border dynamics.