Marina Mayer

Marina Mayer serves as a Research Associate at the Center for Flight and Migration (Zentrum für Flucht und Migration) at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. With a Diplom in Social Sciences, she contributes to critical migration research and social work interventions focusing on refugee integration and anti-racism initiatives. Her work bridges academic research with practical social work applications through numerous conference presentations and institutional collaborations.

Dr. Mayer's research interests center on criticism of racism, precarious employment conditions, work in the low-wage sector, dealing with racist and sexualized violence, and examining majority society under National Socialism. Her work demonstrates a strong commitment to addressing structural inequalities through both theoretical frameworks and practical social work interventions. She has developed particular expertise in analyzing migration regimes and their impact on vulnerable populations, especially youth with tolerated status.

Her publication history reveals an evolution from early research on sexual violence in institutional settings (2010-2012) toward contemporary critical migration studies. Recent publications focus on systemic barriers faced by migrants in Germany, particularly those with tolerated status, and how social work can effectively address institutional racism. This shift reflects her growing specialization in migration policy and anti-discrimination frameworks.

Dr. Mayer actively participates in research projects including the Mercator Foundation-funded initiative "Participation despite tolerated status?!" (2021-2024) which examined municipal spaces for adolescents and young adults with tolerated status. She regularly presents at national conferences and has taught courses such as the Summer Semester 2023 Seminar on "Mental Health and Social Issues." As a member of the Network for Critical Migration and Border Regime Research, she contributes to interdisciplinary scholarly discourse on migration governance.