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MSc Sociology and Global Change, 2020

Emma Ahlert is a community builder and founder dedicated to strengthening career pathways for professionals working across female and sexual healthcare in Scotland and beyond.   

Her advocacy work began in the United States, where she designed a project that delivered relationship education and domestic violence prevention workshops to more than 1,400 university students.   

In 2019, Emma moved to Scotland to complete a master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh, where her research explored how the quality of sex education in adolescence shapes emotional wellbeing later in life. During this time, she co-founded Back Off Scotland, a grassroots campaign advocating for safe access zones around abortion clinics. The campaign led to a change in Scottish law and received media coverage from outlets including the BBC and STV.   

Emma then built a portfolio working across topics including period care, bladder care and menopause, leading social media and communications to translate complex health topics into accessible content. She currently leads social media for Fertility Matters at Work, supporting employers across the UK to implement fertility-friendly policies and better support employees navigating fertility challenges.   

In 2024, Emma founded Elsie, the first global community for freelancers working in female and sexual healthcare. Named after Scottish suffragette Dr Elsie Inglis, founder of Edinburgh’s first women’s health hospital, the platform connects more than 150 professionals across 15 countries and 9 US states, spanning roles including translators, researchers and product designers. Elsie provides infrastructure for people to connect, upskill and access paid opportunities. Members have secured multi-thousand-pound contracts and long-term collaborations through the platform.   

Her work has been recognised through her inclusion in the Young Women’s Movement 30 Under 30 list, the Woman of Inspiration Award from the Association of Scottish Businesswomen, and a £10,000 award from Scottish EDGE. She has spoken at events across Berlin, Brussels and Bristol, and was recently invited to an International Women's Day event by John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland.   

Looking ahead, Emma is exploring the development of FemTech Scotland, an initiative to connect Scotland’s FemTech ecosystem with European hubs. She is also interested in building partnerships with universities to encourage more students to enter the female and sexual healthcare workforce.   

MA Contemporary Art Practice, 2023 
 
Jiayi Chen is a contemporary artist, director, and producer committed to amplifying women's voices and exploring cross-cultural narratives.

After graduating from Edinburgh College of Art, she has developed an international artistic practice rooted in Nüshu, the endangered women’s script from southern China and the world’s only writing system historically created and used exclusively by women.

Through award-winning performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and collaborations with institutions including Fruitmarket Gallery, Summerhall, and Copeland Gallery, Jiayi brings this cultural heritage into contemporary artistic practice. She was also selected for Bradford Producing Hub’s Empowered cohort and commissioned as an artist for the Make the Change event (2023).

Her work is informed by field research with women’s communities and combines performance, calligraphy, and participatory workshops to explore feminist histories and intergenerational storytelling. Her performance Nüshu: Written for Her, On Her, By Her, reflecting on women’s memory, grief, and resilience, has received critical acclaim.

Beyond galleries, her work extends into academic settings including Goldsmiths, King’s College London, and Central Saint Martins, where she uses art to support storytelling and connection among diverse communities. Through workshops, lectures, and participatory performances she has engaged over 2,000 participants in UK.

Jiayi is the first Chinese recipient of the Creative Edinburgh Award (2024) and the first Chinese finalist for the UN Women UK Awards (2025) in the Outstanding Grassroots Campaigner category, recognising her community-based work supporting gender equality.

Her Fringe production Weaving Me, Weaving Mum received Best Production Runner-Up at the Asian Arts Awards 2024 and recognition from the Fringe Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusivity Awards. Her photography has also appeared in the Lonely Planet LGBTQ+ Travel Guide, representing Edinburgh’s creative communities.

In 2023 she founded The Great Her, supporting East Asian women artists through exhibitions, performances, and community programmes. She has collaborated with Saffron Cherry, Fruit Salad Cabaret, and performed at City Art Centre Edinburgh.

She also worked as the Edinburgh producer for Focus China, part of the Shanghai International Arts Festival (2025), and collaborated with Chinese Culture Week at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2025), a campaign that reached over 150 million views and received the China–Scotland Business Award (2026) for Marketing Campaign of the Year. 

MPHIL Psychiatry, 1989

Dr Afzal Javed is a psychiatrist and academic, widely respected for his work in shaping mental health practices internationally.

He currently serves as a Consultant Psychiatrist and had been an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, and an Honorary Associate Clinical Professor at the Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick.

Beyond his academic and clinical roles, Afzal holds the position of Chairman of the Pakistan Psychiatric Research Centre and supervises Fountain House, a mental health institute and rehabilitation centre based in Lahore, Pakistan. Under his leadership, the institute introduced one of the country’s pioneering community child mental health services that provides assessment, special education, and rehabilitation services for children with intellectual disabilities and mental health issues. He also holds a Trustee role at Careif UK, an international mental health charity.

From 2020 to 2023, Afzal led the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) and, as its President, he oversaw projects and initiatives involving 147 national psychiatric societies, bringing together 250,000 psychiatrists from over 120 different countries. During his presidency at WPA, he was pivotal in advancing initiatives focused on mental health equity in low and middle-income countries and developed emergency mental-health responses for psychiatrists and psychiatric patients in Afghanistan, Ukraine and Sri Lanka.

Afzal made significant contributions to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, notably as Deputy Registrar and Chair of the West Division, where he was instrumental in establishing and running College’s Patients and Carers Group. His dedication and service to UK psychiatry earned him an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2024, the College’s highest honour.

His services and contributions to mental health care have been recognised with numerous awards, including an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) as part of His Majesty the King’s Honours List in 2025, the Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence), awarded by the President of Pakistan, and Distinguished Global Psychiatrist Award by Pakistan Psychiatric Society.

Afzal has written six books on psychiatry and published more than 200 scientific papers on public mental health, digital psychiatry, stigma reduction and early intervention. He continues to actively mentor mental health professionals worldwide.

BA Education Studies, 2015

Sabrina Tickle is a charity founder and youth sector leader with over 15 years’ experience supporting children, young people and families affected by poverty and inequality.

Sabrina grew up in environments shaped by poverty, instability and adverse childhood experiences. She left school at 16 with limited qualifications and left home shortly after, building independence and resilience through necessity. At 25, she began studying at the University of Edinburgh, a turning point that provided stability and the foundation for her career.

Sabrina has worked across youth and community settings, supporting thousands of children, young people and adults, and developing a model of practice grounded in trust, consistency and lived experience. As a Youth and Community Manager with Sikh Sanjog, a charity based in Edinburgh, she led targeted support programmes, including work around young people’s rights and personal safety.

In 2018, Sabrina co-founded The WHY Project in South West Edinburgh, a grassroots organisation that has grown into a registered charity and dependable point of support within the community. It now engages over 120 young people each week, delivering five nights of youth provision for children and young people aged 10–18, offering a stable “home away from home” built on safety and trusted relationships.

At the core of the model is integrated relational and practical support. For over seven years, hot food has been provided at every session, including outdoor delivery during the pandemic, directly addressing food insecurity alongside youth work. Over the past four years, the charity also provided more than 120 trips and enrichment experiences.

Sabrina leads the organisation’s safeguarding, governance and strategic development, ensuring long-term sustainability and quality of practice. She has secured funding from partners including the JD Foundation, the Royal Company of Merchants and UK Youth, enabling all provision to remain free at the point of access and supporting a structured volunteer pathway into paid employment.

She volunteers with the Turn Your Life Around partnership with Edinburgh City Council and Police Scotland, supporting young people through lived experience engagement. Her work is grounded in the belief that sustained, trusting relationships can transform lives and that community-based models can create lasting systems of care for young people.