Mel is currently on a leave of absence for the next academic year (2024/25). 

I am a Law (LLB), Applied Human Rights (MA) and Social Research (MA) graduate and current ESRC and Stuart Hall Foundation PhD Student at the University of York.

I have worked as a Discrimination Caseworker and Adviser, supporting individuals with protected characteristics with discrimination related advice and casework. I am also an active member of a number of local Equality and Diversity Working Groups and am a Trustee, and Equality and Diversity Board member of my local Citizens Advice and Law Centre. I have also worked within varying organisations as a Research Assistant, both within the Academic sphere on an ESRC-funded project, and for an International Charity. My research interests are Migration, Immigration Law, Post-Colonialism, State Racism, Belonging, Security and Afro-Caribbean Diasporic communities, and Equality.

I am part of YCEDE as I believe that YCEDE’s aims are salient to making academia a more equitable space for academics from different backgrounds. The current racial disparities in postgraduate education, and the broader academic environment, inhibit knowledge production and a diverse research environment. I therefore believe that it is essential to conduct this work to situate and dismantle structural inequalities and barriers.