Meet the Team

Charlotte Oakes, Co Editor-in-Chief

Charlotte Oakes is a 3rd year PhD student at the Centre for Women’s Studies, supported by WRoCAH/AHRC. She completed her BA in German and History at the University of Warwick in 2022 and graduated from the University of St Andrews in 2023 with an MA in Modern History. Charlotte's PhD focuses on applying a transnational lens to the history of the West German feminist movement (1968-1979). When she isn’t working on her PhD, Charlotte is either on a run, thinking about going on a run, or planning what she will eat either before, after or during her next run.

Elena Sinagra, Co Editor-in-Chief

Elena Sinagra is a WRoCAH/AHRC-funded PhD candidate in the History of Art Department at the University of York. Her research explores feminist reworkings of mythological narratives, analysing how artists have challenged and redefined classical representations of femininity within patriarchal frameworks. Outside academia, she enjoys baking, visiting galleries, and buying too many books.

Lubinna Shahal, Deputy Editor-in-Chief/Secretary

Lubinna is a 1 st year Phd student in the Centre for Women Studies at University Of York. Before starting her doctorate, she worked as an Assistant Professor and public speaking trainer, where she discovered her interest in women’s voices, empowerment and their representation. Lubinna’s PhD explores the changing power dynamics among women through a comparative study of contemporary Chick Lit, a topic born from her long-standing love for feminism and women’s stories. As the Deputy Editor at Cultivate, she hopes to create spaces for voice that question, connect and inspire. Fun Fact: Lubinna has this uncanny ability to find the perfect coffee spots wherever she visits, usually within 10 mins of arriving!

Sofia Jimenez Martinez, Website Lead

Sofia is a recent graduate of the Master’s in Social Media and Interactive Technologies at the University of York. With over 10 years of experience in digital project management and eCommerce strategy, she focuses on improving website functionality, boosting user engagement, and building inclusive digital spaces. Passionate about the intersection of technology and social impact, she advocates for digital empowerment and gender equity wherever she goes. When she’s not working or launching a new personal project, you can usually find her writing, singing, hiking, or negotiating with her dog, Piccina, who believes “Sofia’s schedule” is more of a suggestion than a rule.

Lan Vo, Social Media Lead

Lan Vo is a 2nd year PhD student at the Centre for Women's Studies, supported by ESRC. Her research focuses on the gendered performance of womanhood, motherhood, and nationhood in the context of the Vietnam-U.S. conflict (1955-1975). She is also a translator (Vietnamese and English) and a passionate social media lurker, which helps with her job as a social media lead. And when she is not working on her PhD, she can be seen sipping coffee and putting pistachio cream on little sweet treats (and she still loves cheesecake!).

Macarena Yunge González, Associate and Creative Associate Editor

Macarena is a 1st year PhD student in Social Policy and Social Work, supported by the WRDTP/ESRC. Her current research looks at unpaid care relationships from an intersectional perspective, but she is also interested in reproductive rights and social justice in broader terms. She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and her MA in Women's Studies at the CWS. She has experience working in the public and voluntary sectors in both Chile and the UK. Outside of her work, Macarena has a deep love of dogs and chocolate (or anything sweet).

Regina Zavala Corona, Associate and Creative Associate Editor

Regina Corona is a 1st year PhD student in the English and Related Literature department. Her research focuses on ghosts and madness in Victorian literature (1860-1895) written by women to examine the gender and social dynamics of the time. She completed her BA in English Literature at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in 2022. That same year, she moved to Ireland to study an MA in Literature and Publishing at the University of Galway. Besides her academic work, Regina enjoys doing literary translations from English to Spanish. In her free time, you can find her in a bookstore, at the cinema, or walking around aimlessly in search of the best location to take pictures with her film camera.

Lucy Langley, Associate Editor

Lucy is a Masters by Research student and her research focuses on the influence of social media in the discussions of abuse. Before arriving at York, Lucy completed a law degree at the University of East Anglia. Outside of academics, she enjoys travelling and knitting, and is hoping to interrail around mainland Europe.

Libby Harris, Associate Editor

Libby (she/her) is a MA student in Contemporary History and International Politics at the University of York. She completed her BA in International Relations and Politics at Oxford Brookes University. Her previous undergraduate research focused on feminist movements and prison abolition in the UK and her research interests are in social movements and protest politics, particularly women's movements. Outside of studying, she enjoys running and hiking, especially if there's a coffee and a pastry at the end!

Meng Huang, Associate Editor

Meng Huang is a PhD candidate in Management at the School for Business and Society, where she focuses on gender equality in organisations. Her current research explores how China’s three-child policy shapes the careers, identities, and everyday experiences of working mothers in the banking sector. Beyond her doctoral research, she serves as an AOM Student Ambassador, work as a Research Assistant, a Peer-Reviewer, and teach as a GTA. Outside academia, she recharges with classical music, dance, and photography (sometimes astro-curious!), and she loves being in nature: hiking, paddleboarding, or riding. She shares her home with a curious cat named Susu.

Kainan Zhao, Associate Editor

Kainan is a MA student in China Studies at Peking University and a visiting student at The University of York. Her academic passion lies in the “in-between”: exploring how

transnational Sinophone science fiction travels across media to enter the realm of world literature. In spare time, her interest spans photography, calligraphy and music. She also serves as a social media editor, exploring how narratives evolve on different digital platforms. Kainan is thrilled to bring her skills and passion to the Cultivate team!

Alexandra Hayter, Creative Associate Editor

Alexandra Hayter (She/Her) is studying MA Women’s Studies (Humanities) at the Centre for Women’s Studies. She previously completed her BA at the University of Leeds in Fine Art and Contemporary Cultural Theory. Her academic writing so far has focused on feminist representations in visual culture, with a focus on pornography and erotic imagery. More recently, she has begun researching creative methods as a tool of embodied exploration in regard to chronic illness. Outside of studying, she enjoys all things introspective, exploring nature, attending art exhibitions and spending quality time with the people she loves.

Caitlin Fisher, Creative Associate Editor

Caitlin Fisher is a first-year PhD student in the English department. Caitlin graduated from Boston University in 2020 with a B.A. in English Literature, and earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in 2023. Her current research focuses on the temporality of novels written during and about the COVID-19 pandemic. She also focuses on pandemic literature more generally, as well as working with Modernist texts written in the wake of the 1918 influenza, specifically the works of Virginia Woolf. When not thinking about plagues, Caitlin can be found reading in a haunted pub or enlisting her friends into a ghost hunt or a murder-mystery party.

Dina Coppes, Creative Associate Editor

Dina Coppes is a second year doctoral student in the department of English at the University of York. She completed a BA in English literature from NYU, an MLA in liberal arts from JHU, and an MA in global politics from AUC. Dina is writing a dissertation on issues of race, gender, and sexuality regarding American Muslim women in contemporary Western literature. She was the recipient of the Madalyn Lamont Award and has published in several literary journals and magazines. Dina is originally from NY, but currently lives abroad in Germany with her husband, son, daughter, and adorable Samoyed puppy.

Lovina Newton, Creative Associate Editor

Lovina Newton is an MA student in Linguistics at the University of York. She completed her BA in Sociology and Anthropology at St. Xavier’s College (autonomous), Mumbai. Her academic interests lie majorly in intersectionality, especially focusing on use of language, identity and perception of self and the others.Outside academia, she indulges in board gaming, jigsaws and obscure sci-fi fantasy fiction. A lot of her skills are heavily influenced by her deep interest in dance. She enjoys plugging her academic side into life by consistently engaging in non-participant observation of the everyday. She charges her personal battery by being social and is the token extrovert of almost all groups she’s a part of.

Previous Editors