Stephen is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford, where he works under Professor Alexander Betts at the Refugee Studies Centre. His ethnographic research examines stereotype threat, criminality and the demonization of single male asylum seekers, with a phenomenological approach to masculinity, self-concept, and ethical subjectivity. His broader interests include activism, human rights, and criminal justice reform, and upon completing his DPhil, Stephen plans to attend law school with the hopes of practicing human rights law as a career. He is currently completing an internship at Turpin & Miller LLP through the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, meeting with incarcerated migrants in HMP Huntercombe to expand access to legal counsel.

Prior to commencing his doctoral work, Stephen received an MPhil in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge, and a BA in Political Science and Journalism from the University of Pennsylvania. Stephen is a 2020 Rhodes Scholar (Pennsylvania & Balliol) and a 2018 Truman Scholar.