Dr Ruth Cheung Judge

Personal Statement

I am a social and cultural geographer whose research considers what young people’s transnational lives and upbringings reveal about questions around social inequality and belonging. My current work focuses on transnational educational practices within the Nigerian diaspora, for example: why parents may prefer to school their children in Lagos rather than London, and young people’s experiences of education in different settings. My previous work has examined how participating in 'popular humanitarian' volunteering trips shapes young people's subjectivities and understandings of their place in UK society.

Before joining the department in January 2020, I was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellow (2018-2020) based between UCL and Rutgers University Camden, USA. I completed my PhD (ESRC-funded) in 2016 at UCL, during the course of which I also did a brief visiting fellowship at UNC Chapel Hill, USA (spring 2014). Prior to my PhD, I worked for several years in the international development sector and completed a Masters (2009) at the University of Oxford’s Refugee Studies Centre.