Curriculum vitae.
EDUCATION
University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Master of Science in Forced Migration, June 2007
American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Graduate Diploma Forced Migration & Refugee Studies, GPA 4.0, June 2006
Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington, USA
Bachelor of Arts, International Relations and Political Science, May 1999
EMPLOYMENT
Research Consultant and Professional Editor, International
Clients include: International Refugee Assistance Project, Oxfam UK, Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance, The American University in Cairo, New Bulgarian University, Universita’ di Bologna, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Japan
Danish Refugee Council, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Head, Mixed Migration Center, Asia and the Pacific
Borderless360, Bangkok, Thailand
Co-Head
Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, Bangkok, Thailand
Secretary General
International Refugee Rights Initiative, Kampala, Uganda
Rights in Exile Programme Manager
Fahamu Refugee Programme, Oxford, United Kingdom
Co-Director
Themba Lewis Photography, International
Photojournalist/Owner
RSC Nairobi, US Refugee Resettlement Program (Covering Sub-Saharan Africa)
Field Team Leader
Caseworker
Center for Migration and Refugee Studies, The American University in Cairo, Egypt
Lead Researcher, Ford Foundation Grant
Trott & Gentry Solicitors, London, UK
Wick & Co. Solicitors, London, UK
Legal Representative Clerk, Asylum and Immigration
Refugee and Migrant Justice, London, UK
Accredited Senior Caseworker
Legal Clinic for Refugees and Immigrants, Law Faculty, Sofia University, Bulgaria
Project Manager
OTHER POSITIONS PAST AND PRESENT
Center for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Expert Advisory Board Member
AMERA International, United Kingdom
Trustee
UNHCR and Japan ICU Foundation Education Pathways Project, Global
Steering Committee Member
Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, Bangkok, Thailand
Advisor, Post Deportation
IRRI Rights in Exile Programme, Kampala, Uganda
Chief Editor, Rights in Exile Newsletter
Law Society of England and Wales, United Kingdom
Registered Member
Legal Services Commission, United Kingdom
Senior Caseworker Accreditation (Level 2) Qualification
SELECTED TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Institute for International Humanitarian Law (IIHL), San Remo, Italy
Non-Governmental Organisations and Refugee Protection
May 18 Academy, Gwangju, Korea
Refugee Issues in Asia and the Pacific
CPG Academy, University of Münster, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany and Thammasat University, Bangkok. Thailand
Challenges to the Work of NGOs related to the Protection of Refugee Rights
UNHCR and Fahamu, St Annes College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Witchcraft Allegations, Refugee Protection, and Human Rights: A course for Lawyers and Legal Advisers
The American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
Refugee Participation: Where is the Voice of the Refugees?
Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski, Sofia, Bulgaria
Introduction to International Refugee and Human Rights Law
SELECTED CONFERENCE PARTICIPATION
UN International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), May 2022, United Nations Headquarters, New York, United States
Panelist
The Global NGO Forum on International Development, October 2020, Taiwan Alliance in International Development (Taiwan AID), Taiwan
Panelist: ‘Inclusive Partnerships with Marginalized Groups’
RELATE Refugee Law Support Training, Dongcheon Foundation, December 2020, Korea Refugee Rights Network, Korea
Presenter: ‘Refugees in Asia and the Pacific’
ASEAN Civil Society Conference / ASEAN Peoples Forum (ACSC/APF), September 2019, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand
Presenter: ‘Fish out of Water: Fishbowl Discussion on Refugees in ASEAN’
IIE PEER Workshop Pathways to Higher Education for Displaced Students in Asia-Pacific, September 2019, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Presenter: Refugee Access to Education in Asia and the Pacific
International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) Asia Pacific Regional NGO Partnerships Week, November 2019, Bangkok, Thailand
Presenter: ‘Engaging Displaced and Host Communities’
7th Asia Pacific Consultation on Refugee Rights (APCRR7), October 2019, Bangkok, Thailand
Moderator and Presenter: ‘Policy on Cessation of Status for Chin Refugees: Understanding Concerns, Strategising Approaches’
UNHCR Annual Consultations, July 2019, Geneva, Switzerland
Moderator: ‘High-level panel on UNHCR regionalisation and NGO partnerships’
2019 Gwangju Asia Forum, May 2019, Gwangju, Korea
Moderator: “State Responsibility: Laws, Perception and Practice; Overcoming Discrimination and Hatred”
16th May 18 Academy, August 2019 Gwangju, Korea
Keynote address: ‘Why Refugee Issues Matter’
Refugee Studies Centre 25th Anniversary International Conference, December 2007, Oxford, United Kingdom
Presenter: ‘Another Planet on the Earth: The Rise of Violence and Gangs among Sudanese Refugee Youth in Cairo’
Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria and the Assistance Center for Survivors of Torture (ACET), UN Day Against Torture Commemoration. June 2008 Sofia, Bulgaria
Presenter: Detention and the Treatment of Asylum Seekers in Bulgaria
World Social Forum on Migration III, September 2008, Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Spain
Presenter: ‘For a World Without Walls: The Case for Rights of Access to Immigration Detention Centers in Bulgaria’
11th International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) Conference, January 2008, Cairo, Egypt
Panelist: ‘Sudanese Refugee Gang Violence in Cairo’
SELECTED VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
Southern Refugee Legal Aid Network, Oxford, England, Oct 2009- Jan 2015
Oxford Transitional Justice Research, Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, Oct 2009 - Jan 2011
Bridges Not Walls Immigrant Advocacy Project, Olympia, Washington, USA, September 2009 - 2010
Teacher for Gang-Affiliated Sudanese Refugee Youth in Cairo, Research and Strategic Violence Intervention Project, Cairo, Egypt, Jun-Aug 2006
Benefit project organizer and participant for the Olympia Gender Variant Healthcare project, Stonewall Youth, and Homo-A-Go Go Festival, Washington, USA, 2002 and 2004