Lead supervisor:
Prof Nicholas Ryder 
Other supervisor(s):
- Dr Rustam Mirrakhimov
Start date: January 2026 (Part time)
Award: General
Subject Pathway:
Criminology and Law
Thematic Cluster:
Rights and Governance Cluster
In partnership with:
Enhancing the use of corporate confiscation in the UK’s response to economic crime
My research explores legislative and policy responses to crime involving corporate entities, with a particular focus on the UK's asset recovery system.
My wider research interests lie in areas where the licit and illicit meet, including environmental crime, tax crime, corruption and professional enablers of crime. I have a background in economics and international development and take an interdisciplinary approach to my research.
I also have a longstanding interest in East Africa, particularly Tanzania, where I worked for five years earlier in my career.
Biography
I am a PhD researcher in the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University. I began my PhD in October 2026 and am conducting my research part-time while continuing to work part-time in my professional role.
My academic background is in economics. I hold a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a Master's in Applied Economics from the University of Cape Town (UCT). My master's studies were fully funded by the Leverhulme Trust.
My interest in research was sparked during a final year Development Economics module at LSE, in which I was introduced to identification strategies for quantitative evaluation of development programmes. I further developed my interest through my master's studies and through working as a research assistant to academics at various institutions including at LSE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and UCT. My master's dissertation research explored the role of social learning and trust among participants in a youth leadership programme in South Africa, using social network analysis and an econometric model of social learning.
After graduating with a distinction in my master's, I spent five years working in international development research for EDI Global, Oxford Policy Management, and as a consultant on the Transparency for Development (T4D) programme, a joint research project led by the Harvard Kennedy School and Results for Development Institute. My work predominantly involved supporting clients in the design and delivery of mixed methods evaluations and survey research in Tanzania to support research and programming in health, education and community-led transparency and accountability.
In 2021, I changed direction and embarked on a career in law enforcement. Through this I developed a keen professional interest in economic crime and asset recovery, which motivated me to pursue a PhD.
My research is founded on themes of governance, integrity and accountability that have run through my academic studies, early research and current professional interests.
I aspire to produce policy-relevant research that has the potential to meaningfully influence national and international responses to economic and environmental crime. I am keen to engage with practitioners and researchers working in these areas and am open to opportunities for collaboration.