The Centre for Hate Studies
People
Professor Neil Chakraborti
Neil Chakraborti is Co-Director of the Centre for Hate Studies, Director of the Institute for Policy, and a Professor in Criminology at the School of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy. Over the past 15 years he has been commissioned by a range of funding bodies to design, conduct and manage groundbreaking research studies on diversity and hate crime.
Dr Piotr Godzisz
Piotr Godzisz is Co-Director of the Centre for Hate Studies and an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy. Piotr specialises in researching hate crime victimisation and developing policy responses, focusing particularly on comparative and international contexts. He aims to improve access to justice and extend protection against discriminatory violence and hate speech. Prior to his role at the Centre, he spent two years as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellow at the Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. Piotr holds a PhD from University College London and an MA from the University of Warsaw. His work encompasses research, training, and advocacy in human rights throughout Europe, contributing to organisations such as the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and the European Union.
DrX: @PGodzisz
Dr Amy Clarke
Amy Clarke is Deputy Director of the Centre for Hate Studies and has both taught and researched in the field of hate crime for the last decade. Her research has focused on the ‘hidden’ racism, discrimination and targeted hostility experienced by new migrants, asylum seekers and refugees living in the UK.
X: @DrAmyClarke
Dr Claire Davis
Claire Davis is a Lecturer in Criminology with over 10 years of expertise in researching and publishing on police occupational culture,power, authority and leadership, and diversity in policing. Claire’s current work focuses on the experiences of ethnic minority police officers. Claire leads our Policing Hub.
Dr Matt Hopkins
Matt Hopkins is an Associate Professor in Criminology and Director of the East Midlands Violence Reduction Information Network (VRIN). His work spans a broad range of areas in relation to violence, crime prevention, commercial victimisation and acid attacks. He is regularly involved in applied research projects and evaluations of national government programmes. Matt leads our Violence Reduction Hub.
Emily Wertans
Emily Wertans is a Research Assistant for the Centre for Hate Studies and supports the various current and upcoming research projects of the team, as well as improving local and national understanding on how to receive and respond to hate. Emily is also completing a PhD exploring hate, harassment and mistreatment directed towards homeless people within Leicester. Within this research she uses creative and arts-based research methods to support diverse and seldom-heard voices in communicating their experiences, feelings and views.
The Rural Racism Research Team
Dr Rachel Keighley
Rachel Keighley (she/they) is a Research Associate for ‘The Rural Racism Project: Towards an Inclusive Countryside’, funded by the Leverhulme Trust and based in the Centre for Hate Studies. Rachel is also the vice-chair of the British Society of Criminology Hate Crime Network. Rachel earned her PhD specialising in online hate targeting LGBTQ+ young people. Her work focuses on the harms of every day hate, our understanding of identity and difference, and how we can best respond to online hate through policy, practice, and activism.
Dr Viji Kuppan
Viji Kuppan (he/him) is a Research Associate for The Rural Racism Project: Moving Towards an Inclusive Countryside, funded by the Leverhulme Trust and based in the Centre for Hate Studies. In particular, on this Project, Viji is examining the historic, cultural and symbolic expressions of racism in rural areas. More broadly, Viji’s research, teaching and writing uses an intersectional framework to engage with race, disability and gender in popular culture and society. His forthcoming chapter for Bloomsbury, is entitled, Black Crip Killjoys: Dissident Voices and Neglected Stories from the Margins.
X: @Victory_Vij
Mulka Nisic
Mulka Nisic is a Research Project Officer for ‘The Rural Racism Project: Towards an Inclusive Countryside’, funded by the Leverhulme Trust and based in the Centre for Hate Studies. She has previous experience as a Project Manager at the University of Derby on an ESF funded project. Mulka is also pursuing a PhD and her research spans nine European countries, exploring the lived experiences of individuals in recovery. The focus is on understanding the role and the impact of recovery capital, stigma and discrimination in the recovery process, and examine gender differences.
X: @M_Nisic
The Catalyst for Change Team
Dr Talitha Brown
Talitha Brown is a post-doctoral researcher on the ESRC funded project 'A Catalyst for Change: Transforming Responses to Harassment in Higher Education' in the Centre for Hate Studies. Until recently worked at the University of Surrey on an ESRC-funded project which took an intersectional approach to consider how women experienced food in prison. In addition, she also worked as a research assistant on a Nuffield-funded project, which, by taking an action-research approach, worked closely with youth offending teams in Croydon and Reading to explore how practitioners can better support parents of young people who have been in contact with the criminal justice system.
Dr Yunyan Li
Yunyan Li is a Research Associate for "A Catalyst for Change: Transforming Responses to Harassment in Higher Education," funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and based in the Centre for Hate Studies. As quantitative research lead, Yunyan uses surveys to capture the prevalence, nature, and scope of harassment experienced by students. Her research expertise spans social and gender justice, mixed methods approach, and comparative policy studies, complemented by extensive international fieldwork experience across European and East Asian contexts. Yunyan brings valuable insights from her previous role as Senior Research Associate on a Horizon 2020 project examining gender equality policies across Europe and the Middle East. She holds a PhD in Social Policy from the University of Bristol and an MA in Public Policy from King's College London.