I am a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Northern Ireland, first elected in May 2022. I was a local councillor for eight years and I have also worked as a charity director and development officer, and founded and led a number of social enterprises and businesses. In 2022, I completed my PhD at Queen's University in Belfast, researching the merit of Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a tool for conflict transformation in post-conflict societies.

My interest in UBI began when studying cash transfer programmes in Brazil as an undergraduate student, and over several years my real life and academic experience has continued to convince me of its necessity, as the only viable policy to address the chronic deprivation and inequality often present in post-conflict communities, and to future-proof society for the challenges of automation and climate crisis.

This Fellowship brings my academic interest in UBI full circle as I return to Brazil to explore an innovative basic income progamme outside Rio de Janeiro, and then travel to Colombia to research the benefits of post-conflict cash transfer programmes. I hope to use this to inform policy in regard to UBI in Northern Ireland.