ABOUT ME
I’m a researcher, consultant, and advocate specialising in spontaneous volunteerism, humanitarian response, and mental health.​​​
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Since then, I’ve spent a decade interviewing volunteers, collaborating with grassroots humanitarians, and partnering with aid organisations. My research explores how volunteers navigate complex crisis settings and how their contributions challenge the perception that they are merely disruptive or peripheral.
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My work is grounded in lived experience, most notably coordinating hundreds of spontaneous volunteers on Lesvos during the 2015 refugee crisis.
That experience not only shaped my academic path but also revealed the emotional toll crisis response can have on unaffiliated volunteers.
A Journey to Expertise
I came to this field through activism, first in animal rights, later through volunteerism, and eventually through policy and academic work.
Along the way, I’ve developed evidence-based insights to support a more ethical, sustainable, and human-centered approach to crisis response - one that recognises the needs of both those in crisis and those who step forward to help.