Melissa Espinoza, PhC

Melissa Espinoza is a PhD researcher at the Institute of Social Policy, Housing, Inequalities Research at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. She is a specialist in comparative public policy and the impacts of racial inequalities. Her professional experience in North America is centred around racial inequalities within housing and homeless urban policies. She has extensive research experience in the United Kingdom studying and evaluating homelessness programmes in Greater Manchester, Newcastle, and Birmingham. She has published research on ageing populations housing needs and other anti-poverty work. Melissa's PhD research focuses Indigenous peoples' homelessness experiences in Seattle, USA. 

In her spare time she is heavily involved in supporting movements that help to elevate Black, First Nations, Latinx and other people of colour voices. She serves on the Board of Trustees for Economic Lead,  an award winning and first of its kind, BAME/BIPOC founded Research Company in Scotland.  She is also volunteers year around for Minga Indigena a movement aimed at elevating First Nations voices and knowledge in climate change negotiations.

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Most recently coordinated the venues and collaborated with local grassroot organisations to work with 150 Indigenous delegates participating during COP26 in Glasgow, UK.  She continues to support the facilitation of scholarships for  Minga Indigena youth Indigenous delegates.