Marinov is a post-doctoral research fellow at the School of History of the University of St Andrews. Born and raised in a traditional Romani family in Sofia, he has always been passionate about contemporary Roma-related issues. He has studied political science (BA in Chicago) and international relations (MA in London) and worked for think tanks and research centres in Bulgaria, Spain, Germany and the UK.

A product of migration himself, he is deeply interested in migration, displacement, mobilities and history. Marinov completed his PhD at Swansea University, where his research focused on the impact and consequences of the contemporary mobilities of Roma from Bulgaria. He has published some of his findings in a book chapter and scholarly articles.

Also interested in community and grassroots organisation, Marinov has been involved in and supported the work of the Romani Cultural and Arts Company since 2011.