Michelle S. Dromgold-Sermen

Michelle S. Dromgold-Sermen is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at George Mason University, specializing in interdisciplinary research on migration systems, immigrant incorporation, and refugee experiences. She served as Assistant Director of the Institute for Immigration Research (IIR) at George Mason from 2023–2024.

• PhD in Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Graduate Certificate in Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies
• M.A. in Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• M.S. in Middle East Studies, Middle East Technical University, Ankara
• B.A. in International Studies and German/Europe Area Studies, American University

Her research focuses on:

• Citizenship, membership, and belonging
• Legality and immigrant incorporation
• U.S. immigration law and policy
• Refugee resettlement and global migration management
• Immigrant pathways to entrepreneurship

She employs mixed-method approaches—computational, qualitative, and quantitative—to analyze migration systems' impacts on migrants and citizens, with fieldwork in Germany, Türkiye, and the U.S. Her recent publications highlight refugee systems, media framing of migration, and bureaucratic delays in immigration processing. She contributes to interdisciplinary collaborations and public policy discussions through her work.

Michelle is affiliated with the Institute for Immigration Research (IIR) at George Mason University and teaches in the Department of Sociology.