Behavioural Science

Report for: International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Air Pollution Exposure and Migrants’
Perceptions and Behavioural Responses

I was asked to develop a proposition paper on the influence of actual and perceived poor urban and peri-urban air quality/air pollution in North Macedonia on different categories of migrants and their thoughts, emotions, feelings and behaviours in reaction. Due to the lack of relevant global research coverage of the topic, the project turned into a full-scale, global systematic literature review of 68 peer-reviewed academic studies on general populations and migrants exposure to air pollution in cities around the world.

New insights were generated by applying existing knowledge of migrant populations to the scientific findings of the review showing how air pollution exposure impacts migrants’ psychological and behaviour responses and health outcomes. For IOM’s use only, I devised an ideal-type mixed methods study design to pilot and then execute this study in any global location. From the review, I developed an official IOM report to set out eight areas of everyday human thought, emotions, and behaviour affected by air pollution and how, and a review of the health impacts of air pollution. I involved a team of psychologists and junior researchers in the second draft of the report. We generated actionable policy recommendations for IOM and other agencies addressing the global air quality crisis in specific relation to this vulnerable sub-population, and future research directions to build on this work. The report is due out later in 2026.

Behavioural Change Communications Strategy

Using the quantitative and qualitative study data as underpinning evidence, I designed and wrote a Behaviour Change Communications Strategy for the Green Financing Facility to inform a public information, engagement, and media campaign by banks in North Macedonia to promote uptake of UNDP’s ‘performance-based payment subsidies’ scheme. The Strategy was underpinned by two psychology theories: ‘diffusion of innovation theory’, ‘social practice theory’ (and a little theory from the Integrated Framework for Encouraging Pro-Environmental Behaviour/IFEP). It also drew upon asset-based community development models of using public round-table events to co-design parts of the scheme, and a model of home-based, family counselling using storytelling: ‘Timed and Targeted Counselling/TTC’ (adapted from World Vision’s TTC for maternal and child health and nutrition), and negotiation of norm changes using the ‘Nudge’ model of behaviour change.

The rationale for the green ‘performance-based payments subsidy’ was that air pollution in North Macedonia is at critical levels from the burning of unsustainable sources of fuel such as at coal fired power stations, and the domestic use of burning coal and biomass for cooking and heating. This results in large amounts of GHGs being emitted and contributing to climate change, and detrimental health impacts on the population. By encouraging the people of North Macedonia to apply for the subsidies and adopt and install renewable energy and home insulation technologies, this programme supported them to adapt to the changing climate through behaviour changes that permanently altered how hey are supplied with and consume energy, thereby mitigating CO² emissions.

This project supported the Government of North Macedonia’s National Plan for Clean Air as well as the Government of North Macedonia’s mitigation-related commitments to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It contributed directly towards the SDGs 7 (7.a), 10 (10.2 and 10.7) and SDG 13 (13.2) and UNSDCF Outcome 3 (3.1).

Post-Doc and PhD

My interdisciplinary Postdoc (see here) gave me a thorough grounding in how urban communities and vulnerable and/or marginalised groups are impacted by climate change, build socially sustainable communities and develop social resilience through encountering adverse environmental and climatic events and changes; and the social resources (social capital/social cohesion/equity) required to ensure that resilience is continuously replenished. My DPhil (PhD) (see here) equipped me with deep understanding of how communities, cultures, ethnic groups, national, ethnic, racial and religious identities, belonging and attachments to communities and places work, alongside social and cultural processes of community and nation/nationalism formation, the mental envisioning of transnational migration networks, diasporas, nationalism and multicultural societies.

My D.Phil (PhD) was supervised by the late Professor Marcus Banks and Dr Robert Parkin. I received additional supervision from world leading Sociologist, Professor Anthony Heath, at the University of Oxford‘s Department of Sociology, and pursued deep emersion in Social Psychology theories of experiential knowledge, place attachment, nationalism, and conversational analysis methodologies. During my Masters of Public Health (MPH) at the University of New South Wales, Australia, I developed a writing partnership with Clinical Psychologist and Behavioural Epidemiologist, Dr Patrick Rawstorne and developed enough knowledge of Social and Behavioural Epidemiology to run a short study [see xxx].

I am a true ‘people person’ in every sense. I am also a world-class communicator, relating in the same kind and empathetic way to people at all levels, having started my career as a Social Affairs and Disability Trainee Researcher and Reporter on BBC Radio 4 making content investigating consumer and disability affairs on programmes ‘In Touch‘ and ‘You and Yours‘, and later as a freelance generalist reporter on BBC World Service.