Melanie Fleisch

Melanie Fleisch is an External Lecturer and doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Innsbruck. She concurrently serves as a project staff member at the Center for Social and Health Innovation (MCI) and is affiliated with the Social Theory Research Center. Her research focuses on power and inequality, intersectional discriminatory dynamics in institutions, and agency concepts, particularly in Austrian labor migration contexts.

• Education:
  • Master of Arts in Gender, Culture, and Social Change (2019–2022)
  • Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (2019–2022)
  • Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (2014–2017)
  • Ongoing PhD in Sociology at the University of Innsbruck

Her research interests span sociology, gender studies, and migration studies. Recent work explores categorization processes in labor markets and agency within institutional frameworks. She has published in Journal of Politics and presented at ESPAnet Austria conferences.

Professional activities include designing the seminar “Introduction to Empirical Social Research” and collaboration with external partners in project management. She has also conducted fieldwork in Tonga (2017–2018).

Associated with interdisciplinary teams at MCI and the Social Theory Research Center, her work bridges academic research and practical innovation in social policy.