Meet our Research Team
Ryan Woolrych
Principal Investigator
Heriot-Watt University
r.d.woolrych@hw.ac.uk
Margaret Greenfields
Co-investigator
Anglia Ruskin University
margaret.greenfields@aru.ac.uk
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Ryan Woolrych, PhD is Director of the Urban Institute, and Professor in Ageing and Urban Studies at Heriot-Watt University. Ryan’s research interests include sense of place, ageing-in-place and age-friendly cities and communities. He has expertise in applying visual, creative and participatory methods to understanding the relationship between older people and place.
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Professor of Social Policy, Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Social Care, Anglia Ruskin University.
Margaret’s background as a policy professional, (who initially trained as a community lawyer with a particular interest in family law and homelessness) underpins her research, consultancy, teaching and evaluation activities as an academic. She has worked extensively in the field of social inclusion (with particular reference to inclusion health and accommodation issues), ethnicity, equalities and social justice with a specific emphasis on undertaking collaborative research with communities at risk of marginalisation, racism and ‘othering'.
She has a long history of working collaboratively with Romani Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, and more recently Showmen and Boater communities at local, UK and international levels as well as undertaking policy and practice engaged research with refugee and asylum seeking women, homeless people, LGBT+ people of faith and members of other communities whose voices are often silenced.
Ann Hyde
Co-investigator
Community Renewal Trust, Rom Romeha
ann.hyde@communityrenewal.org.uk
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Ann Hyde is committed to improving the lives of European Roma. Since 2002 she was active in influencing the policies of local and national governments that impact, many negatively, on the lives of Roma. For years she worked in the European countries where most Roma live and in the Western Balkans. Now Ann’s focus is her home city of Glasgow working with to empower and improve the lives of the Roma people who have chosen to make their lives there.
Petr Torak, MBE
Co-investigator
Compas
petr.torak@compas.org.uk
Georgeta Stanciu
Community researcher, Peterborough
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Petr Torak was born in the Czech Republic and is a Roma / Gypsy. After serving over 11 years as a police officer, Torak was elected in 2017 as the Chief Executive Officer of COMPAS Charity. In 2021, Torak became the Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Peterborough. For his community work, Torak had received the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).
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I have a solid educational background, including a BSc in Human Nutrition from London Metropolitan University and a Diploma in Food Safety from University in Bucharest, I have had dedicated my career to public health and social inclusion. My professional journey includes over a decade as a Food Safety & Quality Assurance Officer at the Romanian Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety National Authority.
Rosemary (Rosa) Cisneros
Co-investigator
Coventry University
ab4928@coventry.ac.uk
Gaba Smolinska-Poffley
Co-investigator
Roma Support Group
gaba@romasupportgroup.org.uk
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Dr Rosa Cisneros is an artist, researcher, consultant, and filmmaker of mixed ethnic background who has over 25 years of experience managing, developing, and delivering projects. She is director of RosaSenCis film Production Co., a company that aims to create inclusive and accessible resources and teaching guides used by major organisations such as the NHS. Rosa has co-authored papers on ethics within dance and intersectionality and led projects that explore ethical methods and equitable practices. She sits on many boards, including AWA dance and Early Dance Circle, among many others.
Cisneros brings conceptual grounding to debates around decolonising dance, archives and practice research, and through her consultancy work for the International Council on Archives, leading their ethical archives project, and chair of the Equality and Diversity Task Force for the Europeana Foundation, Cisneros is well placed to discuss EDI-related tensions. She is also located in a network of practitioners and researchers working in ‘inclusive’ and 'marginalized' dance practices and supports services (e.g., NHS, Save the Children, EU-Commission) to explore the potential of arts and culture in their services.
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Gaba Smolinska-Poffley is Roma Support Group’s Deputy Manager and a Roma Support & Engagement Programme Leader. She has been working with East European Roma communities since 2002.
Since 2011, Gaba has been co-ordinating the Roma Support & Engagement Programme, our response to a growing need amongst service providers to ensure specialist interventions for Roma families across the UK. Through this programme Gaba supports professionals and organisations working with Roma communities. Gaba delivers Roma Culture Awareness training sessions, a specialist assessment and intervention service for Roma families in crisis. Gaba also supports research and capacity building and development activities tailored to the specific needs of organisations.
Between 2005 and 2011 Gaba managed number of Health and Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy Projects facilitating Roma communities’ access to health and mental health services and empowering them to gain a greater control over their lives. Gaba is a co-author of the Roma Mental Health Advocacy Project Evaluation Report published by the Roma Support Group in 2012.
Between 2002 and 2005 Gaba ran after school activities for Roma children and young people. These included art and crafts sessions and a reading group.
Crina Morteanu
Co-investigator
Luton Roma Trust
crina@lutonromatrust.org.uk
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Crina Morteanu has a background in Law and an LL.M in Human Rights obtained at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. Since 2009, Crina has worked for various national and international organisations, advocating for Roma rights. In 2016, she was the Human Rights Counsellor of the Romanian Minister of Justice, where she managed the portfolio of the Romanian penitentiary system and contributed to the implementation of the Romanian Roma Strategy 2015–2020. Currently, Crina is leading Luton Roma Trust, a charity based in Luton working towards improving the social situation of the Roma in the Bedfordshire area, and is a Ph.D. student at the University of London, Birkbeck College of Law, where she researches the impact of the European Court of Human Rights’ margin of appreciation on Roma rights.
Nicu Roman
Community researcher
Community Renewal Trust Rom Romeha, Glasgow
Florin Covaci
Community researcher
Community Renewal Trust Rom Romeha, Glasgow
Judith Sixsmith
Co-investigator
University of Dundee
j.sixsmith@dundee.ac.uk
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Judith Sixsmith (Professor of Health Research, University of Dundee, UK) co-directs two institutes: The Institute of Social Science Research and The Centre for Educational and Life Transitions. Her research concerns the place-based health and well-being of marginalised older people and the transitions they experience navigating existing health, social and cultural systems.
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Elif Gezgin is an Associate Professor of Sociology whose research focuses on inequalities, social exclusion, gender and neoliberal transformations. Since 2008, she has conducted fieldwork in Turkey, examining the dynamics of marginalization and everyday experiences of inequality, particularly among Romani communities. Alongside her academic work, she is also a theatre actress with Studio Oyuncuları in Istanbul, and she has also been active in the Turkish film industry as an actress and script consultant since 2018.
Delia Spatareanu
Govanhill youth worker
Community Renewal Trust Rom Romeha, Glasgow
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Mary Humphrey is a creative social photographer committed to education and exploring community issues through her lens. Her collaborative approach centres on building relationships and understanding the stories of diverse subjects, particularly those whose narratives are often neglected.
Following a successful teaching career, Mary's photography journey began in California before continuing at Cambridge School of Art, where she earned a First Class Honours degree and later an M.A. in Printmaking with distinction. Her work blurs boundaries between portraiture and social reportage, combining traditional darkroom techniques with digital imaging. Currently teaching at The Leys School Cambridge, Mary aims to stimulate discussion about marginalised communities through exhibitions and presentations.
Adriana Simona Lakatos
Community researcher
Community Renewal Trust Rom Romeha, Glasgow
Diana Ferar
Community researcher
Community Renewal Trust Rom Romeha, Glasgow
Marek Balog
Community Renewal Trust, Rom Romeha, Glasgow
Aleksandar Marinov
Research Associate
Heriot-Watt University
A.Marinov@hw.ac.uk
Richard O’Neil, MBE
Storyteller, educator, author. X @therroneill
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Richard O'Neill MBE is an acclaimed storyteller, educator, and author based in Northern England. Born into a traditional nomadic Romani family, he leverages storytelling to promote inclusion and community cohesion across Europe, working with schools, universities, museums, and cultural institutions.
His contributions to literacy and community development have earned him an MBE, the National Literacy Hero award, and a Doctorate of Letters from Sunderland University. Currently Professor at Durham University and creative lead at Seven Stories, Richard is published by major publishers including Harper Collins and Bloomsbury. He co-founded Diverse Book Week and The Northern Storytelling Academy, championing inclusivity in literature.
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Sasho Marinov, PhD, serves as a Research Associate at Heriot-Watt University’s Urban Institute. His research interests are centred on the historical and sociopolitical dimensions of marginalised communities. His scholarly work has extensively examined Romani civic emancipation during the Interwar Period and the experiences of the ‘Porrajmos/Samudaripen’ (the Roma and Sinti Holocaust/Genocide). Additionally, his research encompasses the complex phenomena of displacement, mobilities, and identities, providing critical insights into the resilience and adaptability of historically marginalised populations.
Elif Gezgin
Visiting Scholar
