Matilde Rosina

Dr Matilde Rosina is a Lecturer in Global Challenges (Social Cohesion) at Brunel University London, within the Department of Transdisciplinary Studies in Global Change, College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences. She is also a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science and serves as Deputy Director of the Centre for Italian Politics at King's College London, where she obtained her PhD in International Political Economy.

Her research lies at the intersection of international migration, public policy, and international relations, with a focus on the governance of irregular migration, deterrence, criminalisation of migration, and the interplay between migration and foreign policy. She has published extensively in leading journals and with major academic presses, including her monograph 'The Criminalisation of Irregular Migration in Europe' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022). Her recent publications span topics such as populist radical right parties, EU migration policy, the war in Ukraine’s impact on migration, and the failure of deterrence-based border security.

Matilde's research has been featured in Journal of Common Market Studies, Policy Studies, Mediterranean Politics, and numerous policy platforms including The Conversation, LSE Blogs, and E-International Relations. Her work reveals that migration deterrence and criminalisation often fail to achieve intended outcomes and can produce counterproductive 'vicious cycles' of insecurity and irregularity.

• King's Outstanding Thesis Prize

She advises PhD students and is involved in collaborative research projects on migration governance and war impacts. Her work combines empirical field research, including migrant surveys, with policy analysis. She is actively engaged in public outreach, contributing to media and policy debates on migration, asylum, and border security. Her research emphasizes the need for evidence-based policies, expanded legal pathways, and more humane and effective approaches to migration governance.