Melissa Espinoza, PhD
Dr. Melissa Espinoza earned her PhD from the Institute of Social Policy, Housing, and Inequalities Research at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. She is an expert on the impacts of racial inequalities in public policy. Her professional experience in North America centres on racial inequalities within housing and homelessness policies. She has extensive research experience in the United Kingdom, studying and evaluating homelessness programmes in Greater Manchester, Newcastle, and Birmingham. She has published research on ageing populations' housing needs and other anti-poverty work.
She is heavily involved in supporting international and grassroots movements that help elevate and promote the voices of Black, First Nations, Latinx, and other people of colour. She served on the Board of Trustees for Economic Lead, an award-winning and first-of-its-kind BAME/BIPOC-founded research company in Scotland and is board director for Greater Govanhill a community newsroom focused on changing the public narrative with stories and facts. She also volunteers year-round for Minga Indigena, a movement that elevates First Nations voices and knowledge in climate change negotiations.
She is an international consultant focused on integrating and improving Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging across operational and administrative systems. She supports organizations through process redesign, capacity building, and technical assistance that leads to more equitable, transparent, and sustainable ways of working.
She co‑leads the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's| Systems For Action's Systems Alignment Innovation Hub, where she brings together research expertise, practical implementation, and her own lived experience to support communities and organizations in building more equitable, aligned, and healing systems.
Publications
I have contributed to and published a range of reports and academic journal articles in both the United States and the United Kingdom. My work spans topics such as housing and ageing in England, Wales, and Scotland; the evaluation of the A Bed Every Night programme in Greater Manchester; the impact of COVID‑19 on health and homelessness in Newcastle and Greater Manchester; and Count Us In, the annual point‑in‑time count in King County, Washington, USA. I have two forthcoming publications on the topics of why veterinary studies should be more inclusive to a variety of students, to better serve pet owners, vets, and students studying veterinary sciences.
Media Dissemination & Public Engagement
I regularly contribute to media platforms to expand public understanding of systems alignment, equity, and community‑led transformation. My work includes interviews, podcasts, and public conversations that bring research and lived experience into broader dialogue.
