CV

EDUCATION

2016 – 2020     PhD in Gender and Sexuality Studies, University College London, UK.  

Passed with No Corrections, 29th June 2020.

Dissertation: Qu(e)erying Islam: An exploration of queer Muslims and their allies in Indonesia. (UBEL DTP ESRC Scholarship).

While studying my PhD, I was awarded a fellowship:

· March-June 2019. I was a Research Fellow at the University of California Irvine, Department of Anthropology working under the supervision of Professor Tom Boellstorff.

2013 – 2015       MSc in Asian Studies, Lund University, Sweden.

Distinction.

Dissertation: Queering Indonesian Islam: Emerging Progressive Muslim  Voices and LGBT Muslim Identity Negotiation. 

During my MSc studies, I received two scholarships to study abroad:

· January 2015. Research methodology training programme at the National University of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

· August - December 2014. Exchange scholarship at the National University of Singapore.

2007-2012   BA Journalism, University Complutense of Madrid, Spain.
Distinction.

As part of my BA, I received two scholarships to study abroad:

· August - December 2012. Exchange scholarship at Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.

· 2011 – 2012. Erasmus scholarship at the University of Tampere, Finland.  

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

November 2024. “Employing Participatory Methods to Conduct Research with LGBTIQ+ People Seeking Asylum”, Queer(y)ing Asylum Symposium, University of East London.

September 2024. “Challenginghomosecularism:Faith, spirituality and LGBTIQ+asylum in the UK”, COC Believe It or Not Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

September 2024. “Queer(y)ing Faith: Challenging Homosecular Narratives in UK Asylum Processes”, European Geographies of Sexualities Conference, Brighton, UK.

August 2024. “Agency as Submission: Faith, Spirituality and Religion in Contemporary Indonesia”, ICAS, Surabaya, Indonesia.

August 2024. “Living at the Margins: Reimagining Home And Responsibility In Indonesia”, AAS-in-Asia Conference, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

June 2024. “LGBTIQ+ Asylum and Religion in the United Kingdom”, National University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.

June 2024. “LGBTIQ+ Asylum and Religion in the United Kingdom”, National University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.

June 2024. “The Impact of the Asylum Process on the Health of LGBTIQ+ People Seeking Asylum in the UK and the Role of Religion”, Queer Global Health International Conference, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom.

April 2024. “Gender, Sexuality and Islam in Contemporary Indonesia: Queer Muslims and their Allies”, BSA 2024 Virtual Annual Conference.

March 2024. “Queer Indonesian Muslims: Navigating Gender, Sexuality, and Faith”, Invited Talk, Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre, London School of Economics (LSE).

November 2023. “Indonesian Queer Muslims: Book Launch of Gender, Sexuality and Islam in Contemporary Indonesia”.SOAS.

June 2023. "Too Religious To Be Queer". Sexuality, Nationality and Asylum: The New Plan for Immigration. Oxford Brookes University.

June 2023. "The Indonesian YIFOS Camp: Gender, Sexuality and Religion". Outsiders Conference, University of Sussex, Brighton.

June 2023. "Gender, Sexuality, and Islam in Contemporary Indonesia: Queer Muslims and their Allies", University of York, UK.

May 2023. "An Analysis of Literature on the Experiences of LGBT+ Refugees and Asylum Seekers", ICEMIC Online Talk, University of Nottingham.

September 2022. "Allies of Queer Muslims: Contesting Heterosexism and Homophobia through Progressive Islam in Indonesia", European Geographies of Sexuality Conference, UK.

September 2022. "Allies of Queer Muslims: Contesting Heterosexism and Homophobia through Progressive Islam in Indonesia", ASEASUK Conference, UK.

July 2022. "Allies of Queer Muslims: Contesting Heterosexism and Homophobia through Progressive Islam in Indonesia", EUROSEAS Conference, Paris, France.

July 2021. "Exploring intersectional stigma: Muslim sexual minorities living with HIV in Indonesia", BSMS Stigma Group Conference.

March 2020. “Who are the allies of the queer Muslims?”, Enquire Conference, University of Nottingham. (Cancelled due to COVID-19).

September 2019. “Queer Religious Geographies? Becoming a Queer Muslim In Java”, V European Geographies of Sexualities Conference, Prague, Czech Republic

July 2019. “Islam and queer travels in Indonesia: The Muslim waria migrants of Yogyakarta”, International Convention of Asian Studies, Leiden University, The Netherlands.

July 2019. Co-organiser of the conference “Gender, Sexuality, Religion: Thinking Beyond LGBT Moral Panics in Indonesia”, SOAS, University of London.

November 2018. “Finding agency within submission: Theorising queer religious ‘empowerment’ in Java, Indonesia”, International Conference on Gender and Sexuality in Asia (CoGen 2018), Monash University Kuala Lumpur.

November 2018. “Doing and undoing the waria self: Waria, family, and community”, Loves Make a Family Conference, Jakarta Theological Seminary.

October 2018. “Bridging the gap between faith and humanity”, Nahdlatul Ulama, Kendal, Indonesia.

July 2018. “Queering Islam: LGBT empowerment through Muslim faith in Indonesia”, Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia, University of Sydney, Australia.

September 2017. “Queering Islam: LGBT emancipation through Muslim faith in Indonesia”, IV European Geographies of Sexualities Conference, Barcelona, Spain.

August 2017. “Queer Indonesian Islam: Negotiating LGBT and Muslim Identities”, EUROSEAS Conference, University of Oxford, UK.

April 2015. “Queer Indonesian Islam: Negotiating LGBT and Muslim Identities", Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

January 2015. “Queer Indonesian Islam: Negotiating LGBT and Muslim Identities", Institute of Ethnic Studies, National University of Malaysia.

January 2015. “Queer Indonesian Muslims: Negotiating LGBT and Muslim Identities", 7thAnnual Chinese University Hong Kong Anthropology Postgraduate Student Forum.

HONOURS AND PRIZES

June 2022. ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Grant. (Declined due to overlap with Leverhulme ECF). Amount awarded: £120,89347 

May 2022. Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (ECF). (To start in February 2023, and funded until February 2026 at the University of Nottingham). Amount awarded: £378,940.68

March 2019. Frank Carter Fund Grant.

March 2019. International Convention of Asian Scholars Grant. 

June 2018. Annette Lawson Charitable Trust Grant.

June 2018. UBEL DTP ESRC, Overseas Fieldwork Grant.

September 2017. UBEL DTP ESRC Studentship, United Kingdom.

August 2017.Runner-up, Zed Books essay competition.

June 2016. University of Sussex, PhD studentship (declined), United Kingdom.

April 2015. SUPRA Scholarship, Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, Copenhagen, Denmark.

January 2015. Scholarship to attend the Chinese University Hong Kong Anthropology Postgraduate Student Forum.

2014. Exchange Programme Grant, National University of Singapore.

2012. Exchange Programme Grant, Korea University, South Korea. 

2011. Erasmus Exchange Programme, University of Tampere, Finland. 

2007. Award of Distinction at Secondary Education. 

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Teaching, marking and supervision experience

November 2024 – Present

Lecturer, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Nottingham

Courses: Identity in Popular Culture; 'Race’, Ethnicity and Colonial Modernity; Migration, Sexuality and Religion

May 2021 – February 2023

Lecturer, Global Health and Infection Department, Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Courses: Medical Anthropology; Gender, Conflict, and Health; Intersectional Stigma; Case Study Research; Case Study Research Practical Session; Introduction to Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Research

· Led the conversion of modules from term-delivery to weekly delivery, aiming to deliver a more engaging and immersive learning experience for students from the year 2023-2024.

· Organised and led the first-ever Current Stories in Global Health online talk series, engaging students and faculty alike.

· Designed and delivered bespoke lessons on Medical Anthropology, Gender, Conflict, and Health, Intersectional Stigma, Case Study Research, and Introduction to Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Research for MA students.

· Assessed students' work and progress, providing feedback and support to ensure their success.

· Supervised MA students as they wrote their dissertations, providing comprehensive guidance throughout the entire process.

· Acted as an internal examiner for a PhD student, exhibiting exceptional attention to detail and an unparalleled level of rigor.

· Demonstrated a commitment to excellence, innovation, and a passion for nurturing the next generation of global health practitioners.

September 2019 – December 2019

Teaching Assistant, CMII, University College London, UK 

Course: MA level Multidisciplinary Approaches to Gender Studies (CMII0048)

· Conducted desk-based research on multidisciplinary themes on gender and sexuality studies, to design and deliver teaching materials for MA students at University College London.

· Taught two tutorial groups of approximately 15 students each, demonstrating exceptional communication and organisational skills.

· Marked assignments, assessing students' work and progress, and providing constructive feedback to enhance their learning outcomes.

· Proactively sought ways of improving teaching design and delivery, constantly reflecting on performance and obtaining and analysing feedback.

· Exhibited a strong commitment to teaching excellence, utilising innovative pedagogical approaches to nurture a passion among students for multidisciplinary approaches to gender studies.

January 2019 – April 2019

Teaching Assistant, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), University College London, UK 

Course: BA level - Understanding Society: Introduction to Political Sociology

· I designed and delivered teaching materials for BA students after conducting desk-based research on multidisciplinary themes on political sociology. This involved creating writing exercises to be used in the classroom as well as PPT presentations to teach.

· I taught five tutorial groups made of around 15 students each.

· I supervised student projects under guidance and supervision.

· I marked exams and essays.

September 2018 – April 2019

Teaching Assistant, CMII, University College London, UK 

Course: MA level - Multidisciplinary Approaches to Gender Studies (CMII0048)

· I designed and delivered teaching materials for MA students after conducting desk-based research on multidisciplinary themes on gender and sexuality studies.

· I taught three tutorial groups made of around 15 students each.

· I marked assignments to assess the work and progress of students and provided constructive feedback to students.

· I sought ways of improving performance by reflecting on teaching design and delivery and obtaining and analysing feedback.

September 2017 – April 2018 

Teaching Assistant, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), University College London, UK 

Course: BA level - Understanding Society: Introduction to Social Theory

I designed and delivered teaching materials for BA students after conducting desk-based research on multidisciplinary themes on social theory. This involved creating writing exercises to be used in the classroom as well as PPT presentations to teach.

· I taught six tutorial groups made of around 15 students each.

· I supervised student projects under guidance and supervision.

· I marked exams and essays.

May 2017 – June 2017

Teaching Assistant, CMII, University College London, UK 

Course: Dissertation Workshops for MA in African Studies and MA in European Studies

· I designed and delivered teaching materials for final year BA students after conducting desk-based research on multidisciplinary themes.

· I taught three dissertation workshop sessions for the students completing their MA in African Studies and European Studies.

· I assisted students in developing their academic writing skills.

March 2017 – June 2017 

Volunteer Teaching Supporter, University College London, London, UK

· I provided support to non-professional teachers from initial planning to session delivery.

· I led the design of teaching sessions.

· I observed a teaching session and provided feedback to the teacher to ensure that subsequent sessions were to the highest standard.

August 2012 – July 2013

Spanish language and culture teacher, Multicultural Museum of Seoul, South Korea 

· I taught as a member of the Spanish teaching team in 14 different school across Seoul.

· I taught in a variety of settings from small to large groups, ensuring content, methods of delivery and learning materials met the defined learning objectives for individual teaching sessions.

· I developed my own teaching materials, methods and approaches taking into account the diversity of audiences in terms of age and group size that I was teaching.

· I supervised the work of students, providing advice on study skills and helped them with learning problems.

Academic research experience

February 2023 – Present

Leverhulme Research Fellow, School of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Nottingham (Full-time position)

· Leading a 3-year research project after securing funding through a competitive process with around 14% of success rate among hundreds of applicants

· Investigating the everyday realities of LGBT+ religious refugees and individuals seeking asylum to produce recommendations targeting the UK’s Home Office

· Designing a participatory research framework including an in-depth ethics application process to consider how to engage with LGBT+ religious refugees and individuals seeking asylum

· Managing the recruitment of participants including lawyers, solicitors, service providers, Home Office decision-makers, and LGBT+ refugees and asylum seekers

· Producing written and visual materials including a book, articles in academic and non-academic platforms, a podcast, and a documentary

· Organising and facilitating public engagement events with charities, scholars, APPGs and other stakeholders

May 2021 – May 2022

Research Associate in HIV and Social Science, University of Sussex/ BSMS, Brighton, UK

· Brought into the research team to conduct a medical anthropological study on the experiences of people living with HIV and AIDS in the Brighton and Hove area 

· Designing strategies to engage with and recruit participants across intersectional groups

· Conducting physical and online fieldwork through cultural domain analysis with 80-120 people; online and in-person focus group discussions with a total of 18-60 people; and in-depth interviews with participants on both alternative dual therapy treatments and triple therapy regimens

· Conducting data analysis on Excel and NVivo to uncover new insights and then design and produce reports

· Authoring and co-authoring reports and peer-reviewed journal articles including recommendations to improve health services

· Teaching a range of MA courses including Medical Anthropology; Gender, Conflict, and Health; Intersectional Stigma; Case Study Research; Case Study Research Practical Session; Introduction to Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Research

· Supporting MA/ MSc students through student supervision as they work on their dissertations

December 2016 – June 2017    

Researcher, LAHP, London, UK.

· Brought into the research team to collaborate with students, professors and activists from King’s College, UCL and the London East-End Women’s Museum

· Performed research on the economic, social and political dimensions of women’s work at Watney Market in London

· Conducted fieldwork through oral history interviews with female residents to produce knowledge on women’s history then performed data analysis to produce outputs to support development of the East End Women’s Museum

October 2014

Researcher and Conference Producer, National University of Singapore, Singapore

· Performed desk-based and interview research using data and insights to develop and stage the Aku Cinta Indonesia Conference through the Department of Bahasa Indonesia at the National University of Singapore

· Ensured event success through multi-channel marketing and promotion, both internally at the university and externally gathering more than 300 attendees as well as presenting the conference as the Master of Ceremonies

Non-academic professional experience

November 2021 – February 2022.

Freelance Senior Researcher, Justice Studio, London.

· Reporting to the Managing Director of this social justice consultancy and research social enterprise to deliver new insights for multi-sector clients, including charities and local authorities

· Quality assuring the research and consultancy work of a group of researchers and junior researchers

· Authoring detailed and accurate proposals to win project bids to secure new clients across charities, governments, and foundations

· Developing and utilising highly-effective research methods, including interviews, focus group discussions, surveys, action and collaborative research tools for research projects across the UK and internationally

Selected Clients

· British Equality and Human Rights Commission; Media Trust

January 2020 – May 2021.

Senior Researcher, Justice Studio, London.

· Reporting to the Operations Director of this social justice consultancy and research social enterprise to deliver new insights for multi-sector clients, including charities and local authorities

· Playing a pivotal role in multiple peer-research and evaluation projects, including external consultants across multiple global locations, including the UK, Europe, and Africa 

· Overseeing organisation of key events with external stakeholders to discuss research with MPs, politicians, charity CEOs, local authorities and university scholars as well as writing responses to government consultations

· Authoring detailed and accurate proposals to win project bids to secure new clients across charities, governments, and foundations

· Developing and utilising highly-effective research methods, including interviews, focus group discussions, surveys, action and peer research tools and collaborative research tools for research projects across the UK and internationally

· Building and strengthening win-win relationships with a highly-trusted network of external contacts to facilitate effective knowledge sharing and drive future collaboration

· Maximising Justice Studio’s reach through driving ‘social first’ campaigns across Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, infusing powerful messaging that resonates with target audiences 

· Uncovering new insights and performing data analysis employing NVivo and Microsoft Excel then writing research as well as writing impact and evaluation reports for clients and for inclusion in blog articles

Selected Clients

· British Equality and Human Rights Commission; Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Womankind Worldwide; World Habitat; Department for International Development (DfID); Hampshire Cultural Trust; Prostate Cancer UK; The University of Greenwich; University of Bradford; The Music Works; Solace Women’s Aid

Selected Projects

· Equality and Human Rights Commission: Leading three research projects: (1) a research project on the implementation of the socio-economic duty in Wales, (2) a research project on the EHRC’s racial harrassment inquiry, and (3) research on seclusion and restraint in British schools. 

· Prostate Cancer UK: Led a research project for designing and holding focus group discussions with older men with prostate cancer to identify their needs

· Womankind Worldwide: Led a complex international research and evaluation project for women’s rights, including writing the proposal and winning the tender. Interviewed around 60 people in Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ethiopia and Nepal. Insights that were uncovered were used to shape new strategy

· World Habitat: Managed a large multi-country research and evaluation project for the homeless foundation focusing on their Support Programme and the European End Street Homelessness Campaign, from writing a winning proposal through to delivery and reporting

· Other Projects: Oversaw multiple other research projects simultaneously, including a peer-research project on the need of older people in isolation during the Covid-19 crisis working with and training peer researchers in Spain, the UK and the USA. Oversaw an evaluation and research project on the Wessex Dance Academy working with vulnerable teenagers. Contributed to two projects on enquiries from the Equality and Human Rights Commission

Achievements

· Successfully secured more than £80K in new client income since January 2020 by writing successful proposals that resonated with target audiences and influenced key decision makers 

· Completed large multi-country complex evaluation and research projects in Europe and Africa

· Championed improved compliance and social awareness through producing the company’s first ethical policy for use by internal team, external associate consultants and project members

· Drove effective professional development and knowledge sharing through facilitating trainings and workshops in the UK and overseas 

· Introduced NVivo analysis tool, increasing research analysis efficiency and leading to faster project reporting

· Transformed several research methodologies that were due to take place physically into online research methods as a reaction to the COVID-19 crisis

· Successfully recruited for a new Head of Programmes, which the company has not had for several years, overseeing entire recruitment lifecycle from identifying talent through to interview and onboarding 

· Developed new strategic partnerships with academic institutions, charities and governments to ensure future collaboration and knowledge sharing

September – December 2019

Institutional Funding Research Trainee, Muslim Aid, London.

· Collaborated with stakeholders in 19 countries to support growth and diversify institutional funding by researching data related to Muslim Aid’s global programmes highlighting development needs of partners

· Performed research within the development and humanitarian sector to build stronger grant proposals within the institutional funding department

· Gathered research on institutional funding trends in the sector and built an internal database for internal teams as well as tracking grant management systems and working with international bodies, including the United Nations

· Authored two chapters for the new Muslim Aid’s internal grant and project implementation policy

August 2015 – August 2016 

Researcher and Conference Producer, Qatalyst Global, London, UK.   

· Project managed and performed extensive desk-based and phone research to compile critical intelligence to strategize development and concepts for commercially viable conference agendas 

· Collaborated with C-level international stakeholders from large organisations Pfizer, Coca-Cola, IBM and Amazon to build conference programmes that were useful, relevant and resonated with target audiences

· Produced an international conference every three months adapting working schedules to time zones across the Middle East, North America, Latin America and Europe

· Successfully secured well-known and highly reputable speakers for, which influenced the success of the event and increased delegate numbers as well as supporting sales teams by selling delegate passes to target markets

· Oversaw delivery of the first Latin American conference on cybersecurity and Internet of Things in Brazil in 2016 as well as creating a large database of international cybersecurity experts and users for future events

· Defined research objectives, successfully designing diverse research techniques to gather information, including document analysis, surveys and face to face, telephone and email interviews

· Performed in-depth analysis using NVivo then sharing results with the conference production team

June 2014 – July 2014

Research Assistant, GAYa NUSANTARA, Surabaya, Indonesia 

· Performed ethnographic research on HIV/AIDS issues and religious issues as well as LGBTIQ activism

· Conducted 40 semi-structured in-depth interviews and write participant observation notes as well as using NVivo to perform analysis. Used insights to produce a peer-reviewed articles published in the ‘Inside Indonesia’ journal

· Supported a team of LGBTIQ activists conducting outreach work and visits in the province around Surabaya in East Java to provide health services to sexual minorities

OTHER RELEVANT ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Personal tutor

September 2017 – April 2018. 

Personal tutor, CMII, UCL, London, UK.

· I supported two of the students in the MA Gender, Society and Representation to ensure their academic progress was successful. 

· I assisted students in developing their academic writing skills.

· I proofread students’ essays and provided them with tips and feedback

· I contributed to the students’ general welfare while guiding them throughout their MA dissertation writing process.

Peer review

Peer reviewer for an extensive number of journals including, among others, the Journal of Gender Studies, Global Networks, Anthropological Forum, JMEWS, Sexualities, Journal of Refugee Studies, Journal of Contemporary Religion, Stolen Tools, Journal of Feminist Scholarship, Journal of Homosexuality, Theology and Sexuality, Ethnic and Racial Studies, etc.

Journal editor

June 2023 - Present. Co-editor, with Dr Alicia Izharuddin, of a special issue of the Journal of Gender Studies and the Malay World on religion and queerness. 

March 2020 – 2022. Co-editor, with Professor Ben Murtagh, of a special issue of the journal Indonesia and the Malay World on Islam, genders and sexualities in Indonesia.

Conference and panel organiser

April 2023 - Present. Founder of the International Queer(y)ing Asylum Symposium. 

• First edition: November 2023 at the University of Nottingham. 
• Second edition: November 2024 at the University of East London, co-organised with Sonia Quintero.

September 2024. Co-organiser, with Dr Calogero Giametta and Rieke Schröder, of two panels on “Gender, Sexuality and Asylum” at the European Geographies of Sexualities Conference, Brighton, UK.

September 2019. Co-organiser of the Panel “Queer Urban Circulations” at the European Geographies of Sexualities Conference, Prague, Czech Republic.

July 2019. Co-organiser of the conference “Gender, Sexuality, Religion: Thinking Beyond LGBT Moral Panics in Indonesia”, at SOAS, University of London.

SELECTED TRAINING  
  

April 2020– Present. DSDM Agile Project Management course.

September – December 2018. Teaching Associate Programme, UCL, London.

June – July 2017. Bahasa Indonesia Course, Alam Bahasa, Yogyakarta. 70-hour Indonesian language training programme.

2017-2018. Bahasa Indonesia Course, SOAS, London.

May 2017. Introduction to qualitative research: in-depth interviewing, UCL, London.

March 2017. Ethics, Equality and Diversity for University Researchers, UCL, London.

March 2017. UCL’s Public Engagement Unit - Train and Engage programme. Training to support the design, development, delivering and evaluation of a public engagement project based on my PhD thesis.

May 2014. Model United Nations of Malmö (MUNmö).

May 2014. Social Business Forum, Lund University, Sweden.

April 2014. HIV/ AIDS Training Course,Noaks Ark, Malmö, Sweden.

December 2013. Aid for Gender Equality,ReCom, Copenhagen, Denmark.

November 2013. Focus Asia: Open Spaces and Closed Doors, Lund University, Sweden.

July 2011. Certificate in Preventive Journalism, University Complutense of Madrid, Spain.

July 2010. Certificate in Advertising, Central Saint Martins – University of the Arts London.

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

1) English. TOEFL IBT: 113/120 - C2 (Speaking, reading and writing: Native Proficiency)

2) Bahasa Indonesia (Speaking, reading and writing: Advanced)

3) Spanish (Mother tongue)