Category: People

Correspondent

Samantha Chinyoka is a Renewable Energy Engineer currently working as the Projects Director for a green energy company in Zimbabwe. She holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy Systems from the University of Leeds, U.K.

Samantha is passionate about addressing equity and climate change through renewable-based energy transitions. She also has a keen interest in climate and energy policymaking, particularly in the role it plays in supporting low-carbon economic growth. At present, she is a member of the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition and youth climate action groups, the YOUNGO@UNFCCC and the UN-MGCY SDG7 Youth Constituency.

When Samantha is not working, you’ll find her volunteering for charity. She particularly enjoys mentoring young people living in institutionalised homes, helping them realise their potential, to raise their aspiration levels, and prepare them for life after the institution.

Fun fact: She has a thing for good, quality chocolate.

Email: [email protected]

Tasmin Grant is an editor for Earth Refuge and manages the Archive: a collection of submissions that encapsulate the realities of climate migration.

She is also the Managing Editor for one of the largest global digital coffee publications, alongside studying at the London School of Journalism.

Tasmin has been working in the coffee industry for over 6 years, so while the world of climate justice is still relatively new to her, she hopes to utilise her editing skills to assist Earth Refuge with its mission of advocating for the rights of climate migrants.

When she’s not working, Tasmin enjoys discovering new music, cooking delicious vegan food, exploring London, and spending time with her beloved wife.

Email: [email protected]

Nikoleta sees over all teams as part of the strategic & organisational leadership at Earth Refuge. She sets long-term priorities and monitors their execution, while also assisting project management across departments. Having a strong international law background, Nikoleta firmly believes in the power of contemporary legal solutions and is excited about Earth Refuge’s tangible impact. 

Apart from Earth Refuge, Nikoleta works in the legal team of a global climate leadership network. She cares about making law & policy digestible and pursued this as lecturer for the European Commission and president of a diplomacy NGO. Currently, she is leading the International Institute of Space Law’s latest initiative, the Knowledge Constellation, making space law accessible for all.

Nikoleta holds an MA in Human Rights from UCL, where she was recognised in the Dean’s List for Academic Excellence. She is passionate about gender equality and appreciates great films, lyrics, fashion, and chocolate.

Email: [email protected]

Alongside executive duties, Yumna spearheads our Legal Advocacy project –– conducting legal research for live cases featuring elements of climate migration and raising the international legal community’s awareness for the issue –– all of which sets the foundation for Earth Refuge’s future social impact litigation.

Yumna is also the Legal Education Officer at Right to Remain, where she works on resources about the UK asylum and immigration system, including the Right to Remain Toolkit. She delivers legal workshops and collaborates with asylum and migrant groups across the country.

She was called to the Bar of England & Wales in 2020 and obtained a Public Interest LLM fellowship from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Outside of work, Yumna (really) loves to eat, create, and talk about food. If she weren’t in the legal field, she’d be a chef.

Email: [email protected]

Director of Field Research

Lauren Grant holds an MA in Human Rights from the Legal Studies Department of Central European University and an International Human Rights Defender Certificate from the Foundations of Human Rights Protection in Constitutional and International Law postgraduate specialisation programme. She is a graduate of the Zoryan Institute’s Genocide and Human Rights University Program, and is currently pursuing an MSc in Violence, Conflict, and Development at SOAS University of London.

At Earth Refuge and beyond, Lauren’s research and advocacy spans the fields of climate-induced displacement, women’s, Indigenous and minority rights, violence, conflict, genocide, and development. In 2022, she founded the world’s first International School on Climate Migration, a five-week long summer school co-hosted by Earth Refuge and the SOAS Department of Development Studies.

In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading, diving into deep and explorative discussion over a cup of coffee, and soaking up the sunshine with her adored wife.

Email: [email protected]

Adrian Yeung is a public policy professional based in Melbourne, Australia, and a University of Melbourne graduate with specialisations in political science, international business, and media & communications. He hopes to bring his professional experience in government, marketing, and consulting to help Earth Refuge generate awareness and build a movement around the critical issue of climate migration.
 
Outside of work, Adrian is the producer of The Story Symphony, a collaborative audio drama podcast with each chapter of the story written by an entirely different person – meaning that neither the audience nor the writers know what’s going to happen next. He also dabbles in music production, freelance writing, career mentoring, and even had a brief stint acting on community television.

Email: [email protected]

David is a student at Stanford Law School in Palo Alto, California, passionate about anything at the intersection of migration, workers’ rights, and climate justice. He has worked in tech, asylum law, and, in the summer of 2022 with Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, a migrant workers’ rights organization. With Earth Refuge, he writes, edits, and publishes case summaries for the Legal Database. David loves being part of this international, intersectional team and hopes to meet some of his collaborators someday!

Email: [email protected]