Our staff
Staff categories
These are our Birkbeck staff categories within the Department of Psychosocial Studies.
Head of department
Academic staff
- Dr Margarita Aragon, Lecturer in Sociology
- Professor Lisa Baraitser, Professor in Psychosocial Studies
- Professor Claire Callender, Professor of Higher Education Policy
- Professor Stephen Frosh, Professor of Psychology
- Dr Ben Gidley, Reader in Psychosocial Studies
- Dr Amber Jacobs, Reader in Psychosocial Studies
- Dr Sian Macfie, Lecturer in Psychosocial Studies and Psychodynamic Counselling
- Dr Brendan McGeever, Senior Lecturer in the Sociology of Racialization and Antisemitism
- Dr Yasmeen Narayan, Lecturer in Postcolonial and Psychosocial Studies
- Dr Margarita Palacios, Reader in Social Theory and Psychosocial Studies
- Dr Silvia Posocco, Reader in Social Anthropology
- Dr Ian Sanjay Patel, Lecturer in Psychosocial Studies
- Professor Irene Bruna Seu, Professor in Psychosocial Studies
- Dr Kerry Harman, Programme Director for Education, Power and Social Change and Co-ordinator for SSHP Foundation Year
- Clea McEnery-West, Director of Counselling
- Bridget Townsend, Lecturer and Programme Director MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Donata Puntil, Lecturer and Programme Director MSc and PG Cert Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Dr Esther Ramsay-Jones, Lecturer Counselling and Psychotherapy/Programme Director CertHE in Psychodynamic Counselling.
Academic Teaching and Scholarship staff
- Dr Beverley Hayward
- Lizaveta van Munsteren
- Dr Magda-Agata Schmukalla
- Dr Marita Vyrgioti
- Dr Michael Stack
- Sasha Bergstrom-Katz
Counselling Teaching and Scholarship Staff
- Adi Berson
- Ana Wellbrook
- Anna Fitzgerald
- Anne Attwood
- Ann Heyno
- Asuncion Lopez
- Beatriz Curtis
- Chantal de Rop-Rushton
- Elizabeth Martindale
- Jane Dudley
- Joyline Gozho
- Kate Jeffs
- Kim Spicer
- Lizaveta van Munsteren
- Nev Pecotic
- Nicky Wasserman
- Siobain Degregorio
- Stephen Callus
- Valeria Fleury
- Yianna Kefala
- Galit Ferguson
- Hicham Jabrane
- Luke Al-Rehani
- Mark Anderson
- Thalita Gabinio
Research Fellows
Emeritus staff
- Miriam Zukas, Professor Emerita of Adult Education
- Miriam Zukas was the first Executive Dean of SSHP from 2009 to 2016, and Birkbeck's Public Engagement Champion between 2016 and 2018. She was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2008 and a Fellowship of Birkbeck in November, 2016. Miriam's research interests include academics and academic work and learning, professional workplace pedagogies, doctors' learning in transition, professional learning in transitions, and adult higher education.
- Visit Miriam Zukas' website
- Email Miriam Zukas
- Dr Gail Lewis, Reader Emerita of Psychosocial Studies
- Gail Lewis joined the Department in 2013 and was Assistant Dean between 2015 and 2017. She is a Visiting Senior Scholar at the Gender Department at LSE and holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Essex/Tavistock and Portman Clinic. Her research interests focus on three areas: the history and character of black feminism in Britain; how modes of colonial thought are entangled in contemporary practices of citizenship and social welfare in ways that mark the latter as postcolonial; and the ways in which processes of racialisation and gender formation shape or impact the dynamics of social interaction in everyday practice.
- Lynne Segal
- Lynne Segal was appointed Anniversary Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies at Birkbeck, University of London, in 1999. She worked there for the next 21 years, ending up in the Department of Psychosocial Studies. While there she taught mainly in the area of gender, sexuality and ageing, although her work encompasses the broad sweep of cultural, political and social issues embraced by her commitments to feminism and left politics, arguing for a more peaceful, compassionate and egalitarian world. She helped establish and remains attached to the Birkbeck Institute of Gender and Sexuality (BIGS), as well as being an Honorary Professor at City, University of London, and active member of The Gender and Sexualities Research Centre there. She has published widely, including Is the Future Female? Troubled Thoughts on Contemporary Feminism; Slow Motion: Changing Masculinities, Changing Men; Straight Sex: The Politics of Pleasure; Why Feminism? Gender; Psychology & Politics; Making Trouble: Life & Politics; Out of Time: The Pleasures & Perils of Ageing; Radical Happiness: Moments of Collective Joy. She recently co-wrote The Care Manifesto: The Politics of Interdependence (2020) and is currently writing Lean on Me: Disavowals of Dependency. She speaks regularly at conferences in the UK, Europe and beyond, as well as appearing in podcasts and media outlets globally, especially addressing issues of feminism, ageing, care, and an end to conflict in Israel/Palestine.
- Email Lynne Segal
- Professor Avtar Brah: Professor Avtar Brah's Birkbeck Fellows page
Fellow of Birkbeck
- Professor Judith Butler, Maxine Elliot Professor of Comparative Literature, UC Berkeley, USA.
Visiting and affiliated academics
- Abeer Otman
- Dr Gianmaria Colpani, Assistant Professor, Department of Media and Cultural Studies, Utrecht University
- Dr Arndt Emmerich, Honorary Research Fellow
Professional and support staff: Administrative
- Kevin Smith, Assistant School Manager, 26 Russell Square
- Siân Green, Senior Team Leader, 26 Russell Square
- Fatima Hanif, Team Leader and Senior Administrator, Room G31, 26 Russell Square, tel: +44 (0)20 3926 1850
- John Coward, Administrator, Room G31, 26 Russell Square, tel: +44 (0)20 3926 1725, responsible for:
- MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy (October and January start)
- Group Relations Conference
- Hurmine Dormer-Dobson, Administrator, Room G31, 26 Russell Square, tel: +44 (0)20 3926 1500, responsible for:
- Foundation Year, School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy
- MPhil/PhD Psychosocial Studies
- MPhil/PhD Psychology
- MPhil/PhD Gender and Sexuality
- To be confirmed, Administrator, Room G31, 26 Russell Square, tel: +44 (0)20 3926 1900, responsible for:
- Cert HE Psychodynamic Counselling
- Counselling short courses
- Psychodynamics of Human Development (MSc and PG Dip)
- Chan Muu, Administrator, Room G31, 26 Russell Square, tel: +44 (0)20 3926 1500, responsible for:
- Josephine Ijeh, Administrator, Room G31, 26 Russell Square, tel: +44 (0)20 3926 1822, responsible for:
- BSc Sociology (full-time and part-time, and with Foundation Year)
- BSc Social Science (full-time and part-time, and with Foundation Year)
- MA Psychosocial Studies
- MA Psychoanalytic Studies
- MSc Education, Power and Social Change
- Ellie Hepworth, Administrator, Room G31, 26 Russell Square, tel: +44 (0)20 3926 1727, responsible for:
- MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents
- Graduate Certificate in Psychodynamic Thinking: January start
- Foundation for Counselling and Psychotherapy Training (Graduate Certificate): October and January start
- For general enquiries about our academic courses, please email our shared inbox. For queries relating to Counselling and Psychotherapy programmes, email the Birkbeck Counselling Centre Team.