Janina Stürner-Siovitz

Dr. Janina Stürner-Siovitz is a postdoctoral research fellow and project leader at the Institute of Political Science and the Centre for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg of the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU). Her research focuses on migration governance in complex multi-level systems, with particular emphasis on the role of cities in global migration governance. She leads the project "Equal Partnerships – African Intermediary Cities as Actors and Partners in Urban Migration Governance" and has previously worked on "When Mayors Make Migration Policy – The Impact of Transnational Cities' Networks on EU Migration Policies". She also holds significant affiliations as a Visiting Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a Research Associate of the City Diplomacy Lab, and a Non-Resident Fellow of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Political Sciences from Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg with summa cum laude
• Franco-German master's degree in International Relations with a special focus on migration policies
• Franco-German bachelor's degree in Political Sciences from Sciences Po Aix and the University of Freiburg

Dr. Stürner-Siovitz's research takes a glocal perspective, combining her local experience as a former policy officer for the City of Stuttgart with her transnational research. Her work spans migration governance in multi-level systems, multi-stakeholder partnerships connecting local, national and international levels, the Global Compacts for Migration and Refugees, city diplomacy in regional and global migration governance, AU-EU relations focusing on migration and development, climate mobility, and empowerment and human rights in protracted displacement situations. She has conducted extensive field work across Africa and Europe, with geographic focus areas including the global level, Europe, East Africa, North Africa, and West Africa.

Her publications reveal a consistent analytical thread examining how cities are emerging as critical actors in migration governance. She has investigated city diplomacy mechanisms, African city engagement in migration governance, EU urban partnerships on inclusion, and the implementation of the Global Compacts for Migration and Refugees at local levels. Her work consistently emphasizes the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships, the empowerment of refugees and host communities, and the need for more inclusive approaches to migration governance that recognize municipal agency.

As a policy-oriented researcher, Dr. Stürner-Siovitz serves as a peer reviewer for the Knowledge Platform of the UN Network on Migration and is an active member of the UNHCR Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network (GAIN), the African Climate Mobility Research Network (CMARN), and the Cities and Human Mobility Research Collaborative of the Zolberg Institute. She has developed numerous evaluation processes, workshops, and policy papers for organizations including the European Commission, the German Federal Foreign Office, and the Mediterranean City-to-City Migration Project.

She has organized and presented at numerous international workshops and conferences, focusing on city diplomacy, migration governance in African intermediary cities, and the role of local authorities in protection frameworks. Her commissioned work includes evaluations of the EU Urban Partnership on Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees and policy papers on city diplomacy and migration governance across multiple continents.