Ilka Vari-Lavoisier

Dr. Ilka Vari-Lavoisier is a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford's Department of Education and Junior Research Fellow at Kellogg College. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the École Normale Supérieure de Paris and has held prestigious fellowships at Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on international migration, transnational mixed-methods, and the migration-development nexus. She collaborates across disciplines, involving economists, anthropologists, and cognitive scientists. Ilka is an advocate for hybrid pedagogy and leads video training programs, producing short films for Oxford. She has been affiliated with the Migration and Mobility Network, the Department of Sociology, and the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography.

Education: BA in Political Science (Science Po Aix-en-Provence), Joint Master’s in Social Sciences (ENS/EHESS Paris), PhD in Sociology (École Normale Supérieure de Paris).

Research Interests: International migration patterns, transnational research methodologies, and the role of education in migration dynamics. Ilka’s work bridges cognitive science and sociology, exploring how networks shape future-oriented cognition and policy implications. Her interdisciplinary approach addresses systemic challenges in migration studies.

Awards: 2024 Teaching Development Award (with Chihab El Khachab), Procter Fellowship (2013–2015), and Penn Postdoctoral Fellowship (2015–2017).

Teaching & Impact: Taught research methods at UPenn, Oxford, and others. Runs video training programs for multiple departments and produced Oxford’s short films. Her video projects emphasize innovative pedagogy and research dissemination.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the HOMInG project, Migration and Mobility Network, and DIAL (LEDa) at Institut de Recherche pour le Développement. Her work spans Oxford’s interdisciplinary networks, blending theory with practical impact.