Originally from Leeds, Ellen Common earned her degree in French and Hispanic Studies from the University of Liverpool in 2020. Her studies involved learning not just the languages themselves, but also about the varied cultures of the Francophone and Hispanic worlds. Passionate about community engagement, Ellen’s role as Experiential Learning Administrator involves working with faculty to use London and Europe as a classroom.

As part of her studies, Ellen spent a year living abroad, expanding her interest in different cultures and her love of hearing about people’s diverse experiences from around the world. She is fascinated by how language shapes and influences society, and has previously worked in various educational settings due to her interest in creative teaching and learning methods. When she’s not at work, you will find Ellen at a gig, reading, doing yoga, or at the cinema!

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After finishing her degree in business studies in her home country of Spain, Eva Cuevas moved to London to experience what this amazing city has to offer…and she never got tired of it! After working in a variety of customer services roles in the hospitality industry, Eva moved into facilities management. She comes to Syracuse London from companies such as Pearson Education and Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis – the world’s largest commercial real estate services company.

Eva has a young family, with whom she enjoys a great deal of quality time. On the rare night out, though, she is quite the salsa dancing queen!

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Emmanuelle is a cultural theorist who specialises in fashion studies. A graduate from the University of Sussex, Professor Dirix has worked in higher education for eighteen years, lecturing at Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion, and the Royal College of Art as well as serving as head of critical and contextual studies at the Antwerp Fashion Academy since 2009. As well as teaching “Fashion in Focus” and “Beauty and Diversity in Fashion Media” at Syracuse London, Professor Dirix serves as our Learning Advocate, ensuring every student is able to excel and make the most of their academic time in Britain.

Emmanuelle’s most recent work includes “Dressing the Decades” (Yale University Press) and several academic journal articles for “Film, Fashion & Consumption”, “Fashion Theory Russia” and the journal “Clothing Cultures”. She has curated several major travelling fashion exhibitions including “Unravel” for the Fashion Museum in Antwerp. Aside from her academic practice, Emmanuelle works as a freelance fashion branding and communications consultant for the luxury industry, is a columnist for KingKong magazine, and is regularly contacted by leading international news outlets as a subject expert.

In her free time, Emmanuelle escapes the city by through-hiking, wild camping, and running after a small child.

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Dr Becca Farnum is an environmental activist-academic currently serving as our Assistant Director for Teaching & Learning. Becca began working at Syracuse London in September 2017 as she was finishing her PhD at King’s College London, which explored conservation and peace activism in the Middle East and North Africa. Becca’s past work has involved contributing to the International Law Commission’s policy on environmental peacebuilding; running an educational exchange between Norway and Norfolk; and serving a stint with Michelle Obama’s Correspondence Team at The White House. Dr Farnum’s teaching focuses on inclusive learning and transformative pedagogies, supporting students to understand and purposefully impact global change.

Originally from the US, Becca moved to the UK as a Marshall Scholar and has been passionate about student opportunities in Europe ever since. When not in Faraday House, Becca loves hiking mountains and deserts around the world, swimming in oceans and lakes, and baking cookies en masse.

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Eugenia Francis-Williams joined Syracuse University London in 1986 and has held a number of roles. She is now serving as Registrar.

Born in the Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies, Eugenia joined her parents and siblings in London in 1961. She enjoys family gatherings, cooking, dancing and keeping fit.

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Dr Troy Gordon earned a BA from the University of Puget Sound, and an MA and PhD from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. From 2001-2006, Dr Gordon was Lecturer in Writing Programs at UCLA, and in 2007 he relocated to London to serve as Head of the Media & Communications Department and later as Associate Dean at Hult International Business School.

In 2012, Dr Gordon took up the post of Academic Director at Syracuse London before stepping into the role of Director, a position he has held since 2014. Dr Gordon researches, teaches and presents on techniques and uses of mass persuasion; the study of mass atrocities and post-conflict societies; critical perspectives on US foreign policy; male/female friendship; study abroad education; and the changing nature of work and organisational life in the 21st century.

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At Syracuse London, Sanyu supports Finance and HR as our Administrative Assistant, and loves speaking with students about their experiences abroad.

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Charlie Loynes first worked at Syracuse London on a short-term contract to support the program office during our Spring 2020 semester. It was a tumultuous time, due to the Covid-19 pandemic! Happily, he was able to return full-time starting in Fall 2021, and now serves as our Internship Program Manager.

After studying history at the University of York, Charlie worked for organisations like BBC Comedy, PredictX, and the University of Cambridge. Outside of work, Charlie enjoys cooking, listening to podcasts, and playing football (that means soccer, Americans!). He also loves to travel – making his work with field studies a great fit. Charlie is currently training to become a therapist, and is always up for a chat over a cup of tea.

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Jo is our Assistant Director for Finance and HR, and joined Syracuse London in July 2019. She has over 25 years of experience in the finance industry – including retail banking and accounting for research and enterprise projects. Jo is particularly inspired by working in higher education, and loves to make workflows and finances eaasier for our staff and students.

A Londoner all of her life, one of this job’s best perks for Jo is the opportunity to visit other European cities on our weekend field trips. Beyond Faraday House, Jo enjoys going to the gym, walking her dog, and baking tasty cakes.

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Dr Maggie Scull is a modern historian whose work explores religious institutions, secularisation, political violence, sectarianism, and peace. She currently serves as Academic Program Manager at Syracuse London, supporting curricular administration. Previously, Maggie held an Irish Research Council postdoctoral fellowship at NUI Galway. After graduating from Boston University, Dr Scull earned a Master’s and PhD at King’s College London while beginning her teaching career, which has included work with American students abroad.

Maggie’s interdisciplinary research explores the relationship between religion and politics in the contemporary period. Her current work examines the role of funerals throughout the conflict in Northern Ireland. Oxford University Press published her first book, The Catholic Church and the Northern Ireland Troubles, 1968-98, in 2019. She has been a regular contributor to the international press including The BBC, The Irish Times, and RTÉ Brainstorm. In addition to managing our internship program and teaching “The Global Workplace”, Dr Scull leads our Signature Seminar on “Borders in Flux: Identities and Conflict in Ireland.”

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