Melissa Butcher

• Professor Emeritus, Social and Cultural Geography, Royal Holloway University of London

Melissa is Professor Emeritus in Social and Cultural Geography, an honorary Research Associate at Royal Holloway (University of London), and Programme Director at Cumberland Lodge. Her most recent research has been examining political polarization in the United States, and an accompanying book, 'The Trouble with Freedom: Love, Hate and America's Future', will be published by Manchester University Press in early 2026.

Melissa has over two decades' experience leading education programmes and international research projects in the UK, Europe, and Asia, focusing on how we manage cultural change, social conflict, diversity, and inequality. She has held academic posts at Birkbeck, University of London, the Open University, and Trinity College, Dublin, in addition to previous experience in the media, youth work, development education, intercultural consultancy and training.

She enjoys collaborating with a range of stakeholders, including youth organisations, artists, NGOs, and the corporate sector, to create education programmes that support social cohesion, conflict reduction, and understanding processes of change.

• 2023–present Honorary Research Associate, Royal Holloway, University of London

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