Professor Colin Clark currently teaches Sociology and Social Policy at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). Colin's PhD is from Edinburgh University, in Social Anthropology and Social Policy, and was awarded in 2001. Previously, he has held posts at Glasgow University (1994-96), Newcastle University (1996-2004) and Strathclyde University (2005-2013). His research is mainly located within the connected fields of Romani studies and Ethnic and Racial Studies, with a special interest in issues of migration, identity and citizenship. Colin has published widely in these areas and has supervised and examined a number of PhD students.

Outside of UWS, Colin sits on the Board of Directors of the Glasgow based anti-racist organisation the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights and he is also a Trustee of the Roma Rights group Friends of Romano Lav. Colin is also a member of the Research Advisory Group of the Scottish Human Rights Commission and he sits on a Steering Group that advises the Scottish Government on matters relating to Gypsy/Traveller accommodation and other matters. Current research projects include an Erasmus + grant with colleagues at UWS as well as colleagues working at Universities in Poland, Greece and Wales. Previous funders of Colin's work include the Fundamental Rights Agency, the British Academy, the Scottish Government, the British Council, East Renfrewshire Council, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Economic and Social Research Council.

Colin is very keen to engage with interdisciplinary research networks both within and outside UWS. In methodological terms, Colin's main strengths lie in long-term qualitative work, using ethnographic and intersectional approaches to data collection and its analysis. Colin tweets as @profcolinclark and his contact e-mail is [email protected].

Recent projects include an Erasmus + grant, involving several European partners and UWS colleagues, examining critical issues in how migration in Europe is perceived/experienced as well as a project for the Fundamental Rights Agency looking at Roma inclusion and integration in Glasgow. Further bids have recently been submitted to further develop such work, including to funders such as the Royal Society of Edinburgh and ESPON.

The aim of my research is to critically evaluate and understand the impact of changes brought about by processes of migration, with a specialist interest in European Roma, Gypsy and Traveller populations. This focus has driven my research agenda for the last two decades and is more relevant today than ever before, given socio-political and economic changes across European territories. As this research develops I aim to contribute to the evidence base that allows for public policy to be informed and up-to-date on matters relating to identity, mobility, settlement and diversity. This evidence can be used, in partnership with relevant bodies and organisations, to ensure that migration is viewed in positive terms and as an asset and resource, not just in negative terms and as a liability or disbenefit.

1. International Organization for Migration (IOM)

2. European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)

3. Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA)

1. Scottish Refugee Council (SRC)

2. Local Authorities and Scottish Government

3. European Commission (EC) & Council of Europe (CoE)

Intersectionality, Ethnographic methods, Sociology of borders, Human rights.