ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë

Aneela Khalil-Khan

AC member

Aneela Khalil-Khan is a Detective Chief Inspector with over 20 years of experience in policing with South Yorkshire Police. In 2023, she received the ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë Stephen Lawrence Award to explore the challenges faced by women from minority backgrounds in law enforcement, particularly comparing experiences in the UK and US.

During the award, Aneela worked with local police teams at Howard University, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina Central University, engaging in interviews and surveys with women from Black and minority backgrounds. This research provided valuable insights into the barriers they face and strategies for promoting inclusivity in policing.

The experience has had a significant impact on Aneela's career and personal life. It has inspired her to advocate for greater diversity in policing through blogs, presentations, and by encouraging women from underrepresented groups to consider careers in law enforcement, helping shape a more inclusive future for the profession.

Rob Lawson

AC member

Rob currently works as Associate Professor in Sociolinguistics at Birmingham City University. After completing his PhD at the University of Glasgow on language, masculinity, and violence, Rob applied for a ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë Award in Scottish Studies in hope of expanding his research networks in the USA. This later led him to the University of Pittsburgh, where he spent an enriching year immersed in American culture and academia.

During his time in the US, he taught a postgraduate linguistics course, worked on research articles, and completed an edited volume on language use in Scotland. Amongst other things, he also presented talks at Stanford University, UC Santa Barbara, and University of Arizona, and travelled to iconic U.S. landmarks like the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls. In 2019, he was invited to a take up a role as a Visiting Junior Professor in Finland; he was awarded an institutional Researcher of the Year award in 2023, and his research monograph won the European Society for the Study of English book prize in 2024.

Since returning to the UK in 2013, Robert has continued to champion the ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë values in his career, advancing his research on language and masculinities. His recent book explores linguistic patterns in media and fatherhood, and he investigates male supremacism and radicalisation. Rob's ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë experience has had a lasting impact on both his academic and personal life, opening countless doors and fostering lifelong friendships.

Libby Lyon

AC member

Libby is currently working as a food systems strategist at a sustainability organisation in London. In 2017, she was awarded a ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë scholarship to pursue research at UCL where she explored the dynamics between cooking and gardening education programmes and the lived experiences of the students and families involved. In her research, she applied a range of sociological theories, including cultural reproduction, intersectionality, and Critical Race Theory.

She was also a recipient of the Barzun Prize, through which she worked with a London-based cooking and gardening education programme on a youth-led seed saving and oral history project. Following her ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë year, she worked in school food operations, and as a food systems consultant, focusing on food access landscapes and the development of robust regional food systems. Her time as a ÈËÆÞÎÞÂëer was incredibly transformative, and a large part of that was the connections she made with my fellow ÈËÆÞÎÞÂëers, several of whom are still great friends. 

Harsh Pershad

AC member

Harsh Pershad was awarded a ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë-AstraZeneca Postodoctoral Fellowship Award in 2000 to pursue post-doctoral research in chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California at Berkeley. There Harsh spent three years exploring how enzymes are made and work. He has since spent most of his career working with industry, governments, researchers and NGOs to develop and deploy technology-led strategies to tackle climate change. Harsh currently heads up the Industrial Decarbonisation and CCUS team at Ricardo, an environmental and engineering consultancy. Harsh lives in London, where in his spare time he enjoys ballroom dancing and playing the sitar. 

John Robinson

AC member

John Robinson is currently a trustee at Citizens Advice, London, Treasurer of Citizens Advice Westminster and a Trustee of Highgate Cemetery.

In 1987, after completing a D.Phil in Philosophy of Mind at Oxford, he was awarded a ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë scholarship to study Public Administration at Rutger’s University, which allowed him to learn both from academics and colleagues in the vastly different environment of Newark, NJ. His focus shifted from developing theory to understanding the practical importance of contingency. He studied HR with a Marxist professor at the Jersey City Police Academy, completed an internship at Newark Hospital during the height of the AIDS crisis, and prepared a dissertation on Peer Review of grant applications.

During the ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë year, John enjoyed the opportunity to engage with student peers from all backgrounds who he found incredibly hospitable and eager to exchange knowledge from their practical experiences. Diversity of thought, background and physical characteristics was not just an important academic topic but an even more important, and conspicuous part of his lived experience in the US. 

Raegan Sealy

AC member

Raegan Sealy is a British writer, singer, performer and advocate based in New York City. Raegan was awarded a ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë scholarship in 2015. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Poetry from The New School and a Bachelor of Arts from De Montfort University. Raegan’s 2019 TED Talk was delivered entirely in verse and to a standing ovation. Raegan’s work challenges stigmas around trauma narratives, and empowers others to own their stories. She has supported Ice-T, Shane Koyczan, Kae Tempest and Judah & The Lion, and performed around the world in a plethora of venues ranging from classrooms to stadiums, including New York Central Park Summer Stage, The Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center and Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia. Raegan was the recipient of the P.E.O International Peace Prize in 2016 and was a Women’s International Leadership Fellow and Resident Fellow at the International House of New York from 2015 to 18. Her non-profit project, Sound Board NYC, was featured by Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation in 2017, and she was selected as a ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë NY Alumna-in-Residence in 2019. 

Nat Segaren

AC member

Nathaniel Segaren currently leads the Haiti National Programme for Caris Foundation International, which tests and treats babies born to mothers with HIV. Supported by USAID, the programme serves over 200 hospitals and clinics in Haiti.

While studying medicine, Nat developed an interest in community health services and public health. After working as a paediatrician in London, he applied for a ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë Award which enabled him to pursue an MPH/MBA at Johns Hopkins University. During his 18 months in the U.S., Nat learned about the quantification of health issues and evaluating large-scale interventions. He became particularly fascinated by the financial aspects of healthcare delivery, especially in low-resource settings.

A travel grant from Johns Hopkins took him to Haiti to research a project on infant HIV detection and treatment which grew into a full-time role after graduation. The ÈËÆÞÎÞÂë Award provided Nat with invaluable skills, ultimately shaping his career and changing his life.