What’s your job title and how long have you been at Loughborough?

I am a Lecturer in Human Geography and commenced my role at Loughborough University in September 2024.

Tell us what a typical day in your job looks like?

It is difficult to picture a “typical” day, as each day brings its own unique rhythm and that, in many ways, is the beauty of academic life. A standard day might involve responding to student queries, meeting with them when needed, preparing and delivering lectures, advancing my own research projects, writing academic or popular articles, collaborating with colleagues, and working on grant applications. An “atypical” day, by contrast, might include travel for fieldwork, attending conferences, or participating in training sessions. Whether typical or not, I enjoy everyday of my work and look forward to it with the same enthusiasm.

What’s your favourite project you’ve worked on?

One of the most rewarding projects I have undertaken to date is my recently completed research, funded by the Research Council of Finland. This project examined the experiences of different categories of protection seekers arriving within the state boundaries of Finland and Bangladesh, with a particular focus on how the dimension of waiting – and time more broadly – is deployed by state systems either in support of or against these individuals.

What was especially revealing in this comparative study is that, despite their significant differences as sovereign states, Finland and Bangladesh exhibit striking similarities in how they govern protection seekers.

This demonstrates what has been one of the major themes of my research career: the modern state system’s use of sovereign power to arbitrarily categorize and treat people-on-the-move. In so doing, it often supplants its power of killing with the power of making wait, but with extreme consequences.

What is your proudest moment at Loughborough?

Although I have been at Loughborough for less than a year, seeing my Part C dissertation students graduate has been one of my proudest moments here to date.

Which University value do you most resonate with and why?

For me, collaboration is essential to the success of any institution and Loughborough University excels in this regard, not only professionally but also personally. Since joining, I have experienced a deeply collaborative culture, both within my department and across the wider university. What stands out is the ethos that underpins this culture: it fosters authenticity, allowing me to be myself while meaningfully contributing to shared goals within a supportive and inclusive academic community.

Tell us something you do outside of work that we might not know about?

I love being in nature! Whenever the opportunity arises, I enjoy walking the trails around Loughborough with my toddler – picking berries, observing the changing colours of the seasons, listening to birdsong, and, above all, unwinding amidst the calm.

What is your favourite quote?

“The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas” Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in The German Ideology.

If you would like to feature in ‘5 Minutes With’, or you work with someone who you think would be great to include, please email Lilia Boukikova at L.Boukikova@lboro.ac.uk