Dr Milena Rizzotti

I am a lecturer in Criminology and I joined the School in 2021. I obtained a MSc in Criminology with Forensic Psychology from Middlesex University (2015) and a PhD in Sociology from University of Leicester.

My doctoral and postdoctoral studies focused on the topic of trafficking and migration control looking at the racialised and gendered trajectories of Nigerian sex workers and madams. Recently, I have been exploring the sex and entertainment industry in Thailand looking at the provision of intimate services from male workers. I have experience of working in carceral settings, NGOs, and collaborating with stakeholders.

I have been studying and researched topics related to migration, race, and intimate labour from a critical perspective across Italy, the UK, and Thailand.

My research approach prioritises ethnographic and qualitative research  with racialised and sexualised subjects. I have experience of working in carceral and humanitarian settings.

Between 2017 and 2021, my doctoral studies focused on the experiences of Nigerian women convicted of trafficking and those identified as victims borrowing from critical migration studies, feminist approaches, and race theories.

Between 2021 and 2022, my post-doctoral project founded by UKRI aimed at collaborating with stakeholders to support unidentified victims of trafficking in prison.

In 2025, I conducted a pilot study exploring the provision of intimate labour and bar-hosting in Thailand by male workers.

I would be interested in supervising PhDs candidates on the following topics:

• Critical migration and border criminologies
• Sex work and intimate labour
• Human Trafficking and Smuggling
• Racialised communities