Lucy Potter
Policy and Research Officer - RSVP

Profile

Biography

Dr Lucy Potter is a Research and Policy Officer on the Next Generation Research SuperVision Project (RSVP) Project.

In this role, Lucy is contributing to culture change within doctoral education, working with colleagues across the project consortium (the Universities of York, Nottingham and Coventry, and Sheffield Hallam University), as well as with the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE). Her work draws on her experience in qualitative research, stakeholder engagement, knowledge exchange and policy development.

Lucy completed her PhD in Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield in July 2025. Her thesis, Blasphemy and Apostasy in the UK Asylum System: Policy and Practice in Asylum Cases Submitted Under Grounds of Non-Religiosity, examined the experiences of people seeking asylum on the basis of apostasy and non-religious beliefs. In October 2025, she joined the University of York as an ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology and from October 2026 is an honorary research fellow. 

Lucy has an active interest in research impact and policy advocacy and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She also holds a BA in Philosophy and an MA in Sociological Studies from the University of Sheffield, where she was awarded the prize for Best Dissertation in her MA in 2020.

Publications

Selected publications

Potter, L. E. (2026). ‘Conceptualising Identity Transformations of the Apostate Refugee through Un/Learning’. The Sociological Review, pp. 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/00380261261465979

Potter, L. E. (2026). ‘Drawing the Borders of (Non-)Religious Identity: The Bureaucratisation of Apostate Refugee Claims in the UK’. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, pp. 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2026.2695432

Potter, L. E. (2026). ‘Becoming Non-Religious: Exploring the Emotional Experiences of Apostasy and Refugee Status Determination’. Secularism and Nonreligion, 15(1), p. 1. https://doi.org/10.5334/snr.232

Reports, Policy and Public Outputs

Potter, L. E. (2026). Freedom of Religion or Belief for All: Recognising and Protecting the Non-Religious in the Asylum System. Research report, University of York. https://doi.org/10.15124/yao-nqwz-b482

Potter, L. E. (2026). Recognising and Protecting the Non-Religious in the Asylum System. Policy brief, University of York. https://zenodo.org/records/20424587

Potter, L. E. (2025). Contribution to UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief: Call for Input – Report on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Migrants, IDPs, and Refugees. Humanists UK.

Potter, L. (2024). ‘Many asylum seekers are persecuted for what they believe in – but what about those who don’t believe?’. The Conversation. https://doi.org/10.64628/AB.esrjkjtgw