Dr Sandra Pertek is UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the School of Government and School of Social Policy, and Senior Research Fellow at the International Development Department at the University of Birmingham. She was previously Lecturer at the Institute for Global Health and Development at Queen Margaret University and Teaching Fellow at POLSIS and ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Research Into International Migration and Superdiversity (IRiS) at the University of Birmingham.
In her PhD, Sandra explored the intersection of religion and the continuum of violence in forced migration in Turkey and Tunisia, integrating intersectional and ecological approaches. Her thesis conceptualised religion as a multidimensional factor—both an intersectional vulnerability and a primary coping resource—across different stages of forced migration. Currently, Sandra leads the the £1.3m UKRI-funded research initiative, Making Aid Work for Displaced Women, which investigates how better integration of Islamic philanthropy and the international humanitarian system can improve outcomes for displaced women. She is committed to multi-stakeholder engagement and the development of innovative solutions to global forced displacement.
Sandra has led numerous studies across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, including the Ukrainian Refugees at Risk project in Poland and Ukraine, the Untold Migrant Stories project in the Mediterranean, and the Forced Migration, SGBV, and COVID-19 study. As the SEREDA Research Fellow (Impact and Policy Lead), she coordinated multi-stakeholder initiatives to enhance protection for displaced populations and undertook a joint technical assignment on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and migration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
With over a decade of experience as a gender and social development specialist in humanitarian, development, and migration settings, Sandra has consulted for various governmental, inter-governmental, and non-governmental organisations. For example, for the Home Office UK, she developed a Theory of Change (TOC) for integration, along with TOC guide notes based on the Indicators of Integration framework. In collaboration with GIZ, she conducted religious and traditional actor mapping in Zambia for a violence prevention programme in Southern Africa. For the Islamic Development Bank, she co-developed resources to integrate gender sensitivity into Islamic microfinance programmes for women. She also provided technical support and training for the European Commission on how to engage with religion, gender, and violence, and has collaborated with the Danish Human Rights Institute, UNHCR, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on policy and capacity-building initiatives.
Previously, Sandra served as Senior Policy Adviser on Gender (Global Technical Lead) at Islamic Relief Worldwide, where she spearheaded the organisation’s gender mainstreaming strategy. She authored the Gender Justice Policy and integrated gender considerations into international programmes through faith-sensitive approaches. She also piloted gender-based violence (GBV) programmes in Africa and Asia, and facilitated learning exchanges in partnership with institutional donors, including UN agencies and the EU.
Sandra has served on the Leadership Council of the SVRI/JLI Faith and GBV Hub and was part of the UN Women Roster for Eliminating Violence Against Women (EVAW) Spotlight Initiatives. She has supported several local and regional women’s organisations and remains an active contributor to networks focused on gender, religion, and forced migration. She also coordinates multi-stakeholder initiatives to strengthen women’s protection in forced displacement contexts.
She has published articles on gender, religion and forced migration in leading journals and co-authored the monograph, ‘On the Significance of Religion in Violence Against Women and Girls’ (Routledge). Her new monograph, ‘Violence against Women, religion and Forced Displacement: Experiences and Humanitarian Responses’, is underway. Sandra also guest lectures at various academic institutions.
She holds a PhD in Gender, Religion and Forced Migration from the University of Birmingham, MSc in Social Development Practice from University College London and BA in European Studies from the University of Warsaw.