This is a podcast where you hear about applied research into education and sustainability. This podcast is brought to you by members of the London South Bank University (LSBU) Sustainability Research Group which is a collaborative, multidisciplinary group actively involved in researching practice, policy and pedagogy relating to sustainability. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals provide a frame of reference linking the work of the Group and the examples of research shared with you in this series of podcasts.
 
Dr. Jaya Gajparia Speaks with Dr. Ayar Atar Podcast
 
The four podcasts published by the Sustainability Research Group can be accessed online here: https://anchor.fm/jaya45/episodes/Ep-1-Dr-Jaya-Gajparia-speaks-to-Dr-Ayar-Ata-ee2h2c
 

Dr Ayar Ata Biography

Ayar Atar Ayar is a freelance researcher and linguist working for Ministry of Justice in London. He joined the Working Group for Archiving and Documentation of History of Forced Migration and Refugees in July 2018. Ayar is an active member of Sustainability Research Group at London South Bank University and a member of imix-global dialogue based in London promoting positive communications on migration and refugee issues in Britain, and he is also serving as ExCom member of International Association for the Study of Forced Migration. He serves the IASFM History of Forced Migration and Refugees: An International Working Group for Archiving and Documentation as a blog commissioning author.

Ayar, has first-hand refugee experience and settled in London in the beginning of the 1990s. Now describes himself a Kurdish Londoner and Ayar believes his formal and most informative steps towards his integration or active citizenship in London began when he completed his undergraduate study at SOAS, University of London in 1997.  Ayar studied  further and completed his postgraduate studies in social policy at Middlesex University in 2000 and later he studied forced migration and international human rights at University of East London (UEL) in 2009. Ayar was inspired by his experience at UEL and continued his dream study and gained his PhD in the same field at London South Bank University in April 2017.

His PhD research is on transnational migration, integration, and identity: a study of Kurdish diaspora in London analyses the notion of history, cultural identity and the idea of home and belonging by considering how the Kurds view their own history (the past) and how they relate (at present) within their new home, that is London. In other words an analytical attempt has been made to understand a shifting position of the Kurds from victims in the region to active citizens in London or Kurdish Londoners.

In the course of his research Ayar has also helped to establish a small voluntary group called Maheen Project in Croydon south London. This project is supporting unaccompanied refugee children to settle successfully in London