Steph is a recognised expert in the field of international human rights law. Her broader research interests lie in the fields of international minority rights law and freedom of religion or belief, with a particular emphasis on the rights of religious and new minorities in Europe. Her research is often interdisciplinary and draws on multiculturalism, interculturalism, social psychology, intersectionality and securitization theory to analyse the international human rights law framework. 

Steph is currently finalising two, complementary monographs on Islam in the European Court of Human Rights, under contract with Routledge. The first, Islam in the European Court of Human Rights: The Process of Securitization adopts Balzacq's sociological approach to securitization theory in order to identify the factors and processes that have resulted in the Court reaching highly criticised decisions in cases concerning Muslim applicants. In depth analysis of the case files, reveals how government lawyers mobilise the successful securitization of Islam at a domestic level throughout Europe, power-dynamics in the ECtHR and the ECtHR's social identity in order to convince the ECtHR that the interference with the applicants' rights was necessary in these cases. In so doing, the work not only sheds a new light on the ECtHR's article 9 and 11 ECHR jurisprudence, it also contributes to securitization theory by revealing that successful securitization in the setting of courts undermines the rule of law.

The second monograph, Islam in the European Court of Human Rights: From Securitization to Desecuritization builds on this, in order to identify whether it will be possible to desecuritize Islam in the ECtHR in the future, as well as potential strategies to facilitate this. By analysing case files in which the securitization of Islam was silenced, failed or constrained, alongside desecuritization literature, it is possible to identify the factors that have led the securitizing moves of government lawyers to be less successful. While Islam has not been successfully desecuritized, to date, this analysis allows us to identify how different strategies employed by the applicants' lawyers and third-party interveners impact the success of securitization in the ECtHR and to identify untested strategies that could be employed in the future. 

Steph is also currently working on a co-authored article with Nuno Ferreira and Isilay Taban that will employ intersectionality in order to analyse the violation of the rights of LGBT+ asylum-seekers in Türkiye.

On the basis of her research expertise Steph was invited to serve as a Member of Project Advisory Board, Migration and Religion in International Law (MiReIL): Research-based Proposals for Inclusive, Resilient, and Multicultural Societies (2023-25). She is also founding member, member of steering group and incumbent Chair of the Minority Rights Solidarity Network, that brings together academics and activists in the field of minority rights.

Steph is willing to supervise Doctoral Researchers in the fields of minority rights, migration, and freedom of religion.

Current Doctoral Researcher:

Leonard Chimanda Joseph, 'The Role of the Global Compact on Refugees towards the Identification of Durable Solutions for Refugees in Kigoma Villages in Tanzania.​

Completed Doctoral Researchers:

Moheb Muddesir, 'The Effective Participation and Representation of Turkic Minorities in Politics in Afghanistan and its Role in Peace-building in an Ethnically Divided Post-War Society' (Pass with Corrections)

Isilay Taban, 'The Relevance of Minority-Refugees’ Cultural Identity to their Protection under International Human Rights Law: Stronger Protection Through a Minority-Focused Approach' (Pass with Corrections)


Other Publications:

Book Review: 'Jeroen Temperman and András Koltay (eds), Blasphemy and Freedom of Expression: Comparative, Theoretical and Historical Reflections after the Charlie Hebdo Massacre' (2019) 19 Human Rights Law Review 387

Blog: 'The ‘Burkini Ban’ – A Red Line even for the European Court of Human Rights?' Oxford Human Rights Hub Blog 7 September 2016

Blog: 'International Law and the Denial of Minority Status to Indian Muslims' Oxford Human Rights Hub Blog 3 July 2014

Blog: 'Yet Another Furore about Halal Meat' Responsibilities, Rights and the Law 9 May 2014

Blog: 'The Danish Prohibition on Ritual Slaughter – Just a Matter of Freedom of Religion vs Animal Welfare?' Responsibilities, Rights and the Law 6 March 2014

Case Note: European Court of Human Rights: Case of Ahmet Arslan and Others v Turkey(Application No. 41135/98) (Autumn-Winter 2011) The UK Network on Minority Groups and Human Rights: Newletter 8-9.

Book Review: ‘Law and Religion in Theoretical and Historical Context’ (2009) 4(1) Religion and Human Rights 71-74.

Invited Public Lectures

• 'Realising the Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief of Refugees’ Public Lecture at Hashemite University, Amman, Jordan (Apr. 19)
• ‘Faith, Freedom and Liberty - Ensuring the Rights of Women’, National Peace Symposium - Ahmadiyya Muslim Women's Association UK (Jan. 18)

Invited Research Seminars/Conference Papers

•  '(De)securitizing Islam in the European Court of Human Rights' at Thematic Workshop: The European Court of Human RIghts and the Rights of Minorities and other Marginalised Groups, Durham Law School (Jan. 2026)
• 'The Impact of Securitization on the Rights of Religious Migrants in Europe' Conference on Migration and Religion: International Law Perspectives and Beyond, University of Trieste (Sept. 2025)
• ‘Objective 16: Empower Migrants and Societies to Realize Full Inclusion and Social Cohesion’ Conference on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration: Progress, Challenges and the Way Forward to a Principles Implementation, Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Nov. 2022)
• ‘Islam as threat to secularism in the European Court of Human Rights’ Conference on Religious Tolerance in an Age of Secularism, Utrecht University (Dec. 20)
• ‘Refugees as minorities: Expanding the Scope of Application of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities’ Colloquium on ‘Migrating Recognition’ or ‘Constitutionalism(s) Reversed’ Introducing Andean Pluralisms in European Integrationist Paradigms, Sciences Po Paris (Nov. 20).
• ‘Propaganda for Diversity? The scope of States’ positive obligation to change hearts and minds under international human rights law?’ Conference on Positive state obligations concerning fundamental rights and ‘changing the hearts and minds’, Erasmus University Rotterdam (Jan .20)
• ‘The European Court of Human Rights as a site of securitization’ Research Seminar, Human Rights Centre, Ghent University (Jun. 19)
• ‘Human Dignity and Religious Freedom: Moving Beyond Toleration of Difference’ Human Dignity for Everyone Everywhere: From Tensions and Conflicts to Reconciliation Conference, Central European University, Budapest (Jun. 18)
• ‘The ECtHR, Freedom of Religion and the Margin of Appreciation’ Kokkinakis Papers: Taking Stock of 25 years of ECHR Jurisprudence on Freedom of Religion or Belief Conference, Central European University, Budapest (May 17)
• ‘Defamation of Religion: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, Law and Religion Conference’ Law and Religion Conference, Kellogg College, Oxford (Dec. 16)
• ‘Securitization of Muslim Women in the European Court of Human Rights’, Research Seminar, Middle East Centre, St Antony's College, Oxford (Nov. 16)
•  'Freedom of Religion and Belief and the Protection of the Religious - Has the European Court of Human Rights Lost its Way?', Research Seminar, School of Law, University of Portsmouth (Jan. 14)
•  ‘Protecting the Rights of Minorities - the Role of the Council of Europe’, Anglo-German Fellowship Conference, University of Oxford (May 13)