Helga de Valk

Helga de Valk serves as Director of the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) and Professor of Migration and the Life Course at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Spatial Sciences, Population Research Center. She leads the Migration and Migrants research group at NIDI and directs the ERC-funded MYMOVE research project. Her academic career spans multiple leadership roles including Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Population (2014-2018) and current Honorary President of the European Association for Population Studies (EAPS).

Professor de Valk's research focuses on migration and integration issues, the transition to adulthood of immigrant youth, union and family formation, the second generation, residential segregation, and European mobility patterns. Her work examines the demographic characteristics and behavior of migrant populations across Europe, with particular attention to intergenerational relationships and life course transitions. She has pioneered research connecting migration dynamics with broader demographic processes, emphasizing how migration experiences shape family formation patterns and social integration trajectories.

Analysis of her recent publications (2024-2025) reveals strong thematic continuity in her research interests, with increasing focus on gender dimensions in migration, residential mobility effects across the life course, and sophisticated migration scenario modeling. Her work demonstrates methodological diversity, incorporating quantitative demographic techniques, comparative European analyses, and innovative approaches to migration forecasting that integrate both numerical data and narrative elements.

• ERC Starting Grant (2010 FamiLife)
• ERC Consolidator Grant (2018 MYMOVE)
• 2016 European Demography Award
• Editor-in-Chief, European Journal of Population (2014-2018)

Professor de Valk has led and participated in numerous national and international research projects funded by Horizon 2020 and Norface, with her MYMOVE project representing a significant contribution to understanding migration motivations. Beyond her academic appointments, she serves as Vice Chair of the Dutch State Committee on Demographic Developments 2050 and maintains active advisory roles with numerous demographic institutions across Europe, including Population Europe in Berlin, the Vienna Institute for Demography, and various national demographic institutes.

Her leadership extends to multiple advisory boards including the ODISSEI supervisory board at EUR Rotterdam, the advisory board of SOCIUM at the University of Bremen, and the Kuratorium of the Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungswissenschaften in Wiesbaden, demonstrating her significant influence in shaping demographic research and policy across Europe.