I am Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Essex.
I completed an MSc in Sociology supported by an FCO/OSI Chevening Scholarship and a DPhil in Sociology, supported by a Lamb and Flag Scholarship at the University of Oxford, St.John’s College.
My research focuses on local communities, migration, inter-ethnic ties, ethnic penalties, social cohesion, trust and multiculturalism. In particular, I am interested in how local communities respond to different challenges and the practical ways adopted by individuals and institutions to solve common problems.
I currently work on several topics exploring local area effects in relation to food insecurity, migration, and social trust. My book “How Urban Food Growing Projects Can Transform Local Communities; Understanding Local Responses to Sustainability and Food Insecurity Challenges” is currently scheduled to come out in early 2027 with Bristol University Press. Drawing on ethnographic work, field notes and in-depth interviews with volunteers at community-based agroecology projects and community gardens, the book highlights the importance of urban food growing initiatives and alternative food networks. You can read more about these projects in the research section of this website.
I hold several roles. I am the Director of the Centre for Migration Studies at the University of Essex. I am co-founding Series Editor of The Emerald Studies in Migration Research, Policy and Practice. This series is designed to explore the multifaceted dimensions of migration (both voluntary and forced migration) with a focus on the implications of migration on policy and practice across various global contexts.
I sit on the International Editorial Board of Ethnic and Racial Studies and the Advisory Board of the Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex and the Essex Migration Advisory Forum. I am Commissioner in the Essex Climate Action Commission, an independent body set up by Essex County Council to advise on how best to tackle the climate challenge and become a net zero emissions county. From 2015 to 2018, I led the GEMM project (Growth, Equal Opportunities, Migration and Markets funded by the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Commission; 2 498 510€). This project addressed the challenges and barriers that European countries face in managing the mobility of persons to realize competitiveness and growth.
My book, Pioneering Social Research, with Paul Thompson and Ken Plummer, is out with Policy Press. My research has been featured by the Independent, TEDx, LSE Politics and Policy Blog, the Migration Observatory, CORDIS, in the Guardian. I have been invited to speak at the European Ideas Network Seminar at the European Parliament, the European Commission and at the Global Empowerment Meeting 2018 of the Harvard Kennedy School.
You can email me at: nvdem@essex.ac.uk
You can find me on Linkedin: Neli Demireva and BlueSky: @demirevaneli.bsky.social
Neli Demireva 