Leicester sociologist named as UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship winner
The University of Leicester's Dr Diego García Rodríguez has been named as one of 77 talented early career researchers to receive funding from the UKRI's Future Leaders Fellowship.
Dr García Rodríguez’s research will revolutionise academic and policy understandings of LGBTIQ+ asylum, a field long overlooked because of data gaps and limited support for LGBTIQ+ people seeking refuge. For example, in the UK, data collection systems currently only capture sexual orientation with no specific recording of gender identity, alongside a lack of consistent SOGIESC categories across government datasets and limited training for decision-makers, particularly around trans and intersex applicants.
The study will analyse global asylum policies through the lived experiences of LGBTIQ+ asylum seekers. Using the UK as a foundational case study, the project will identify critical gaps and co-develop innovative policy solutions through a decolonial, participatory approach.
A core feature of the project is its comparative design, examining LGBTIQ+ asylum across three pairings: Mexico–Spain, Kenya–UK, and Lebanon–France. The research will be guided by an alternative ethics board comprised of people with lived experience and supported by regional steering committees, ensuring the work is co-produced and practically useful.
The Future Leaders Fellowship is a flagship of UK Research and Innovation. It allows universities and businesses to develop talented early career researchers and innovators.
The 77 researchers have been awarded a share of £120 million to lead vital research, collaborate with innovators and develop their careers as leaders of the future.
Dr García Rodríguez said: " For years, LGBTIQ+ people seeking asylum have told me that the system doesn’t fully see who they are. This fellowship will let us build evidence with them, not just about them: co-designing research, training a team, and working with high-level decision-makers. My hope is that policies finally start to recognise people’s whole lives and dignity."
Professor Teela Sanders, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Head of College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities at the University of Leicester said: "Dr Garcia is a real testament to the quality of researchers we have at the University of Leicester working in social science and will be welcomed into a research environment which has social justice and inclusivity at the heart of its focus. This project no doubt has the potential to create a significant impact on policy and communities across Europe and beyond."