As a Social and Cultural Psychologist, my 2 broad areas of research interest are:

1) Migration and Minority Groups:  I am interested in the identity and migration experiences of families and young people and in how they engage with institutions in new settings. I am also interested in citizenship rights and activism in minority groups. In particular, in how these groups forge a sense of community under adverse circumstances (including political instability and climate change).   

2) Cultural Heritage and Wellbeing: I am interested in how the arts and creative practices can help foster wellbeing in people. This includes with teenagers and children with mental health difficulties, individuals living with trauma but also people experiencing loneliness. 

Methodological Approach:

I work across disciplines  (including psychology, sociology and history) and use traditional mixed research methods as well as arts, visual and film-based methods (including documentary research).  I work with museum practitioners, artists, and policy groups.

Summary of Current Research Projects: 

I am currently working on 2 research projects. 

• The first is my new AHRC funded project (with Dr Anushay Malik) titled: 'Partition of Identity: An exploration of Belonging in Bengalis in Pakistan, 1971- 2021'. This 2 year project will explore the lived experiences of Bengali migrants in Pakistan (arriving after 1971). It draws from social psychology, history and arts based methods. It begins in December 2020. 
• The second is a British Academy funded study (with Drs Katherine Twamley and Charlotte Faircloth) titled Families and Community in the Time of Covid 19 (FACT-Covid). This 10 country study explores how families globally are coping with Covid 19.

Summary of Past and Ongoing Projects

• 'Parenting and Child Development in Multi-Ethnic Britain'-  Doctoral research, which was a  mixed method study that explored parenting and family life in second generation British South Asian 
• 'Children’s and Adults’ Friendships across Social Class and Ethnic Difference'. An ESRC project  about living in a socially diverse place (with Professors Carol Vincent & Sarah Neal) 
• Child Language Brokering - I continue to work with Professor Sarah Crafter (The Open University) around Child Language Brokers i.e. recently arrived children and young people who interpret and translate for their families in a range of spaces and contexts. We completed an AHRC study in 2018 on this topic. 
• Cultural Heritage and Wellbeing - I completed a series of UCL Grand Challenge Projects around this topic (Between Spaces: Museums and Mental Wellbeing in Young People & FLOCK: The Art of Ceramics in fostering Wellbeing in Displaced Groups) with the  South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM).