Leana Podeszfa studied politics and development studies in Nottingham and Oxford. She interned with the International Organisation for Migration on human trafficking and irregular migration. During her studies, she worked for the International Tracing and Message Service of the Red Cross, and as a researcher on deportation for the Fahamu Refugee Programme. Her focus was on what happens to failed asylum seekers after they have been deported. As a Mercator Fellow, she aims to set up a network to monitor human rights violations against failed asylum seekers post-deportation.