Maria Lopez Romero was born in Mexico City, where she completed a degree in Psychology at Universidad Anahuac. She also holds a masters degree in Counselling in Educational Settings from Rowan University (New Jersey, USA), and a PhD degree in Education from the University of York. Maria was a counsellor at LEAP Academy in New Jersey and Fundación Origen in México City. Additionally, she has lectured at Universidad Anahuac, Universidad del Valle de Mexico and she is currently a lecturer at the University of Lincoln. Maria's research has focused on bullying, bullying bystanders, and the role of culture and gender in this social phenomenon.