Meet the members of the PhD Academy 2021!
Aimee Kelley
Ghent University, Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy
My PhD research is about education policy and the well-being of refugee and migrant students. I wanted to become a member of the PhD Academy to connect with and learn from other researchers focused on migration. The Academy provides a unique opportunity for PhD students to be part of an interdisciplinary cohort united by a common theme.
Alyssa Marie Kvalvaag
Nord University, Faculty of Social Sciences
My PhD research is about representations of immigrant integration in local, rural areas. I wanted to become a member of the IMISCOE PhD Academy to grow as a scholar and connect with others who have similar scholarly interests. I look forward to the opportunities for training, learning, and growing as a migration researcher.
Berfin Nur Osso
University of Helsinki, Faculty of Law
My doctoral research, ‘Access to a Right to Have Rights’: Managing Migration at the EU’s External Borders examines how the externalization of migration management affects the “access” of migrants in irregular circumstances to their “right to have rights”. Being a member of the PhD Academy under the auspices of IMISCOE will provide immense synergy benefits to my doctoral project and future career as an academic through networking opportunities, as well as fruitful discussions with distinguished researchers and fellow PhD candidates with whom I share similar research interests in the interdisciplinary field of migration studies.
Carolina Triana-Cuéllar
University of Sussex, Migration Studies
My PhD research explores the experiences of professional artists in the UK cultural sector who are first-generation migrants. I wanted to join the IMISCOE PhD Academy to deepen my understanding of migration through collaboration and knowledge exchange with peers across Europe and beyond. I believe the PhD Academy will provide a nurturing and collaborative environment to self-assess and support my professional growth as a researcher.
Dilşah Pınar Ensari
Koç University, Department of Sociology
My PhD research focuses on social transformation in borderlands and the production of translocality through multiscalar mobilities. I wanted to become a member of the IMISCOE PhD Academy to join an international network and benefit from the ideas and expertise of migration scholars and PhD students from across the world. I am also looking forward to contributing to the research initiatives within the network with my contextual knowledge about and research experience across Turkey, which hosts the world’s largest refugee population and struggles with migrant incorporation and social cohesion.
Guadalupe Chavez
University of Oxford, Department of Politics and International Relations
My PhD research focuses on the politics of forced return migration. My project explores how countries of origin respond to the involuntary return of their citizens and explains intra-case temporal variation for how countries of origin manage forced return migration. I wanted to become a member of the IMISCOE PhD Academy for its training opportunities and to engage in critical debates with other students and scholars studying migration.
Ihssane Otmani
University of Lausanne, Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration
My PhD research is about studying the impact of public policies on educational and occupational aspirations of refugees. I want to become a member of the IMISCOE PhD academy to share my research with other migration scholars and also learn more about the current research in the field.
Imogen Dobie
University of Oxford, Department of International Development
My PhD research focuses on the history of rescuing refugees and migrants at sea. I am very excited to become a member of the IMISCOE PhD Academy, where I will be able to meet and exchange knowledge with like-minded scholars and researchers in the field of migration studies. Since I began my PhD research, I (and many others) have been struck by the hardening attitude of governments towards vulnerable migrants on the move and so I wanted to join the Academy as a means of working with others to influence academic thinking, public perception and policymaking in this area.
Isabella de Sousa Gonçalves
Johannes Gutenberg University, Department of Communication
My PhD research is about the representation of immigration in the press of The United Kingdom and Brazil. I wanted to become a member of the IMISCOE PhD Academy to increase my knowledge in the field of migration and to have the opportunity of networking with international scholars.
Katharina Tittel
Sciences Po Paris, Department of Sociology, financed by the Institut Convergences Migrations
My PhD research is about questions of (social) media framing and migration coverage, with a focus on how this digitally mediated discourse may (re)produce inequalities along lines of race, gender, and class. I wanted to become a member of the IMISCOE PhD Academy, since I believe that the training and networking events (such as the summer and winter schools) are unique opportunities for exchange and learning and to receive targeted migration research related training. Moreover, I am highly interested in the Anti-Racism working group activities, since I think my PhD project and work can vastly benefit from critical reflections and discussions with other PhD students in the field.
Kseniya Homel
University of Warsaw, Institute of Applied Social Science, Associate member of the Center of Migration Research
My PhD research is about female migrant self-organisation. I focus on gender aspects of organisational patterns, female empowerment and social action. I strongly believe that IMISCOE PhD Academy is an excellent opportunity to connect with experienced experts and young researchers. It will be great chance to exchange ideas and knowledge, enrich and advance my research. I also perceive it as an opportunity to imitate international and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Laila Omar
University of Toronto, Department of Sociology
My PhD research is about Syrian refugee mothers’ and teenagers’ experiences with time and uncertainty in Canada. I am thrilled to be a member of the IMISCOE PhD Academy because I wanted to be part of a diverse and active community that creates new spaces for conversations about migration-related themes. I’m also excited to network with, and learn from, other emerging scholars who share similar research interests.
Maria Runkel Cardoso
NOVA University of Lisbon, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Centre for Research in Anthropology
My PhD research is about understanding how public space is used in times of contestation and its relationship with a transnational political sphere, focusing on political organizations of Brazilian migrants in the Iberian Peninsula. I wanted to become a member of the IMISCOE Academy so that I can connect, learn and share with more people. It became increasingly obvious that finding a safe place with people who share a similar path is essential for better work, so to have a network of people who want to help each other grow, based on solidarity and enthusiasm, is the perfect way to start this adventure of my PhD.
Maryam Ekhtiari
Koç University, Department of Sociology
My Ph.D. research involves investment citizenship programs in Turkey. For me, there are numerous motives for joining the IMISCOE Ph.D. academy. However, the fact that this academy provides an opportunity to become familiar with the migration scholars and students from diverse research interests is the most important reason for me, among others. I also believe this academy compensates for the deficiencies of being a pandemic Ph.D. student and not having the chance of networking with other scholars in the field.
Mohamed Munas
Radboud University, Institute of Management Research, Department of Geography, Planning and Environment
My PhD research looks at diasporic transnational practices and their implications on the recovery of post-war Sri Lanka. I am excited to be part of the IMISCOE PhD Academy which I believe will provide opportunities for cross-learning and experience sharing. This network of emerging scholars will be a rich pool of resources that will enhance further research and collaboration on migration, cross-border mobility and transnationalism.
Nawal Karroum
Université Paul-Valéry-Montpellier / Porto University
My PhD research is about the encounter between immigrants and hosts populations through theatre. I wanted to become a member of the IMISCOE PhD Academy to exchange and built up synergies with other researchers in the field of migrations. I also hope that it will be a safe and fruitful space to share experiences and challenges of the PhD experience.
Paula Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik
University of Geneva, Department of Political Science and International Relations
My PhD research is about how trade policies affect migration policies and discourses (at the EU and national level). The most joyful part of doing a PhD is to engage with others’ ideas. The pandemic has disrupted our ability to connect as young scholars, and so dedicated networks like the PhD Academy are more crucial than ever!
Ryan Lutz
University of Bristol, School for Policy Studies
My PhD research is about integration, social innovation, local governments and community. I wanted to join the IMISCOE PhD Academy because it is a global and dedicated research community focusing on the issues of migration and integration through a multifaceted lens. Additionally, it has made great strides in bringing the framework of Anti-Racism into the debates of the sector. Seeing how race intersected with migration status in my life growing up in California I think it is one of the most important conversations we could be having as a collective.
Sarah Elmammeri
University of Liverpool
My PhD is about three levels of borders practices in the journey of asylum seekers and refugees journey to and in Europe from the period of 2015 -2016 so-called refugee crisis. I would like to be part of the academy because it is an opportunity to hear more about what is everyone doing in the field of migration as well as networking and learning from everybody.
Satrio Nindyo Istiko
University of Queensland, School of Public Health
My PhD research explores how sexual health literacy is developed through the influence of migrant networks. I want to join IMISCOE PhD Academy because IMISCOE is at the forefront of interdisciplinary research in the field of migration. I'm excited to be part of a large network of migration scholars and collaborate with others who work in the intersections of migration and health.
Sen Li
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
My PhD research is about rural-to-urban and urban-to-urban migration in transitional periods of China. My primary motivation for joining this academy is to learn more about migration-related themes that researchers in other countries are interested in. I also hope to meet others with a passion for migration.
Talitha Dubow
United Nations University-Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology, Maastricht Graduate School of Governance
My PhD research is about migrant decision-making in the Western Balkans. I am very much looking forward to meeting my colleagues in the IMISCOE PhD Academy and to learning from, and exchanging with, them. My experience of the pandemic has sensitised me to the potential for building meaningful connections and collaborative practice across institutions and countries, even only online. Through the IMISCOE PhD Academy I am hoping to extend my network, benefit from and contribute to the creativity, advancement of knowledge, and opportunities for collaboration within the wider migration research community.
Thea Næs Rabe
Nord University, Faculty of Social Sciences
My PhD research is about European citizens who contend national and EU migration policies by supporting rejected asylum seekers from Afghanistan with mobility and residence in Europe. Joining the IMISCOE PhD academy holds valuable opportunities for me as a PhD student through the professional network and scholarly discussions and seminars.
Waseem Haider
University of Turku, Department of Sociology, INVEST Flagship
My Ph.D. research is about mental health issues among migrants in Finland. I wanted to become a member of the IMISCOE PhD Academy to get migration-specific training and to have an opportunity of expanding my networking in the field of migration and integration. I am expecting to work together with some leading researchers in the field of migration and integration.
Zeynep Mentesoglu Tardivo
Luiss University, Department of Politics
My PhD research is about the political participation of immigrants in Europe and the role of political opportunity structures. IMISCOE PhD Academy is a unique arena to learn in the field of migration studies, exchange research ideas and engage with other PhD students. Becoming a member of the academy will enrich my research project and support my journey to develop as a researcher.