Kaoru Aoyama is a professor at the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies at the University of Kobe. She works on issues like gender, sexuality, migration, trafficking and sex work in the era of globalization. She has built a broad portfolio, working within the private, voluntary and educational sectors. She is chairperson of the International Exchange Division, Research Centre for Promoting Intercultural Studies at the University of Kobe and has held research and teaching positions in Japan and the UK. Dr. Aoyama holds a B.Sc. in sociology from Housei University, Japan, an M.A. in gender and international development from the University of Warwick, UK, as well as a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Essex, UK.