Sanctuary Research
We are currently mapping Sanctuary-related research carried out by academics across Queen’s University Belfast. Below, you will find the main thematic categories, each with associated sub-areas and the academics who, to our knowledge, are active in these fields.
Please click on any academic’s name to access their profile and learn more about their specific research interests.
If you are a Queen’s academic whose work aligns with the Sanctuary agenda but is not yet listed here, we warmly invite you to get in touch. This page is a work in progress, and we would be delighted to include your contribution.
We would like to thank the Research Impact Team at Queen's for their work in mapping researchers and projects from across the institution.
Education and Inclusion
This area includes: Teaching English to refugees and asylum seekers (ESOL, TESOL); Inclusive and intercultural pedagogy; Decolonising the curriculum; Theory and practice of feedback processes; Widening participation and access to higher education; Educational policy and refugee/asylum seeker access
- Centre for Language Education Research (CLER), including Dr Ibrar Bhatt, Dr Ian Collen, Dr Mel Engman, Dr Sultan Turkan)
- School of Arts, English and Languages: Dr Síobhra Aiken, Prof Janice Carruthers, Dr Emma Humphries
- School Of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics: Prof Eric Morier-Genoud
- School of Law: Dr Alice Panepinto
- School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences: Dr Eiman Abdel-Meguid
- School of Nursing and Midwifery: Mrs Nimmy John, Patient and Carer Education Partnership (PCEP) Forum
- School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work: Prof Dina Belluigi, Dr Maria Cockerill, Dr Cecilia Gialdini, Dr Aisling O'Boyle, Miss Morgan Mattingly, Prof Allen Thurston
Health, Wellbeing, and Trauma
This area includes: Trauma-informed practice; Mental health and psychosocial support for displaced people; Healthcare access and cultural competence
- School of Law: Prof Cheryl Lawther
- School of Nursing and Midwifery: Prof Michael Brown, Mrs Nimmy John, Prof Mark Linden
- School of Psychology: Dr Trisha Forbes, Ms Lynn Walsh, Trauma & Mental Health Group (for psychosocial support expertise)
- School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work: Dr Michael Duffy, Dr Suzanne Mooney
Gender and Protection
This area includes: Gender-based violence and protection mechanisms; Women’s empowerment and leadership in migration contexts; LGBTQIA+ experiences of displacement
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences: Prof Maria Lohan
- School Of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics: Dr Livi Dee
- School of Law: Dr Maria-Adriana Deiana, Dr Eithne Dowds, Prof Cheryl Lawther, Prof Fionnuala Ní Aoláin
- School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work: Dr Mary-Louise Corr, Dr Paula Devine, Dr Siobhan McAlister, Prof Alison McKenzie, Dr Suzanne Mooney, Prof Dirk Schubotz
Social Justice, Law, and Policy
This area includes: Human rights and asylum law; Migration policy and advocacy; Integration and community cohesion; Minority ethnic business, employment, and recruitment; Anti-racism and equality frameworks
- Queen's Business School: Dr Grainne Kelly, Dr Anastasia Kulichyova
- School Of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics: Dr Kieran Connell, Dr Ashok Malhotra, Dr Drew Mikhael
- School of Law: Dr Lauren Dempster, Prof Colin Harvey, Dr Erika Jiménez, Dr Amanda Kramer, Dr Marisa McVey, Prof Fionnuala Ní Aoláin
- School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work: Prof Katy Hayward, Dr John Topping
Culture, Arts, and Storytelling
This area includes: Arts-based and creative approaches to integration; Storytelling, film, and performance as tools for social change; Memory, identity, and belonging; Media representations of refugees and migrants; Creative Ethnography
- School of Arts, English and Languages: Mr David Grant, Dr Megan Kelly, Prof (Emeritus) Cahal McLaughlin, Prof Franziska Schroeder
- School Of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics: Dr Jack Crangle, Prof Fiona Magowan, Mrs Lisa Rea Currie, Dr Emma Reisz, Dr Raluca Roman, Dr Emma Soye, Dr Ioannis Tsioulakis, Dr Briony Widdis
- School of Law: Prof Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, Dr Alice Panepinto
- QFT “Refugees Welcome” engagement
- Sounding Conflict project SARC
Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding
This area includes: Religion and integration (e.g. Islam, interfaith work, etc.); Conflict, displacement, and peacebuilding; Studies related to Palestine, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and other conflict-affected regions
- School Of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics: Prof Debbie Lisle
- School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work: Dr Veronique Altglas, Dr Teresa Degenhardt, Prof Gladys Ganiel
- School of Law: Prof Luke Moffett, Dr Alice Panepinto
- The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice (peace, security & justice hub for cross-school links)
Environment and Displacement
This area includes: Climate migration and environmental justice; Sustainability and migration in urban contexts
- School of Law: Dr Lauren Dempster, Dr Peter Doran, Dr Gerard Kelly
Intersectionality and Lived Experience
This area includes: Understanding how overlapping identities (e.g. gender, race, migration status, disability, religion, sexuality) shape experiences of inclusion, exclusion, and belonging; Intersectional approaches to education, health, and policy
- School of Arts, English and Languages: Miss Lucy Baxter, Dr Gail McConnell
- School of Nursing and Midwifery: Prof Mark Linden