Dan Fisher

Dr Dan Fisher is a Research Associate at the Centre for Public Policy, University of Glasgow, specializing in political geography with a focus on borders, asylum determination, and refugee integration. His work examines governance practices of refugee integration, decision-making processes of forced migrants, and judicial determinations of asylum appeals. Previously, he contributed to the evaluation of Scotland's 'New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy' through the UNESCO Chair for Refugee Integration.

Dan Fisher completed his PhD at the University of Edinburgh, where his thesis critically engaged assemblage theory to analyze border control mechanisms. His field research spanned Spain, Morocco, and the UK, tracing performances of border control and tactics of resistance. Educational background includes doctoral research at Edinburgh and prior research positions at the James Hutton Institute and University of Exeter.

Fisher's research interests center on the political geography of borders and migration, with particular expertise in asylum processes, refugee integration strategies, and the material politics of migration governance. His work combines theoretical frameworks like assemblage theory with empirical research on administrative practices, spatial dynamics, and temporal dimensions of border control. He investigates how forced migrants navigate complex bureaucratic systems and how integration policies are implemented at local levels, with increasing focus on comparative analysis of integration approaches across European contexts.

His publication record demonstrates consistent thematic focus across multiple disciplines, bridging political geography, legal studies, and migration policy. Recent works show evolution from theoretical explorations of border control to increasingly policy-relevant research on asylum appeals and refugee integration strategies. The geographical scope spans European contexts with particular attention to the UK and Scotland, while methodologically combining qualitative approaches with legal and policy analysis.

Fisher actively engages with policy communities through multiple channels. He has assisted in drafting the third iteration of Scotland's New Scots Strategy, co-organized stakeholder events on refugee integration, and published open-access research reports including work with the Public Law Project. His research has directly informed Scottish Parliament debates and contributed to the UK Government's Home Affairs Committee Inquiry into Immigration Detention. He regularly participates in the Scottish Government's Cross-Party Working Group on Migration.

As part of the Centre for Public Policy at the University of Glasgow, Fisher collaborates with interdisciplinary teams focused on migration governance. His current work continues to analyze judicial determinations of asylum appeals while examining practical implementation of refugee integration strategies in Scotland, building on previous research conducted with the UNESCO Chair for Refugee Integration through the Languages and the Arts.