Irina Sirbu

Irina Sirbu is a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Research on Children and Families. She works on a project titled: ‘From being adopted to becoming a parent: when adopted people become parents and adopters become grandparents’. Irina joined the Centre from The Brilliant Club, a charity working to increase the number of children from underrepresented backgrounds in highly-selective universities across the UK and internationally. As a Data Analysis Officer, she was involved in measuring the impact of the organization’s educational interventions and reporting to key stakeholders. Irina completed a Ph.D. at the School of Social Work, University of East Anglia. Her qualitative study explored the separation and reunification experiences of young people in residential care and their families in Moldova. As an Associate Tutor, Irina led seminars in Human Growth and Behavior and Child Observation modules. Prior to that, Irina completed Masters in Child Development and Education (University of Oxford) and worked in a variety of educational and non-governmental settings in the UK and Moldova. Her research interests are in the field of vulnerable children and families in the UK and globally. She is particularly interested in life perspectives and experiences of children in care and their families, risk and resilience factors and parenting in difficult circumstances.