Leona has extensive experience as an equalities and social justice professional in UK and international public and charity sectors and is an early career academic researcher in the fields of ‘risk’, ‘safeguarding’, ‘child labour’, ‘modern slavery’ and ‘childhood radicalisation’. She is currently developing exciting, innovative interdisciplinary approaches to avoiding harm in the design and delivery of research and knowledge production in this field, through creating anti-colonial methods and methodological approaches which centre minoritised communities as Derby Fellow for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Research Theme of 'Slavery & Unfree Labour' at University of Liverpool. Co-founder Researchers Network 'Riskwork in Young Lives'. She was the Research Director and co-author of the UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR) 'Safeguarding in International Development Research Guidance and Report' (2020). She was Principal Investigator on University of Liverpool ODA COVID-19 Rapid Response Research 'COVID-19 and Racialised Risk Narratives in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa' (2020).