Natascha Zaun

Prof. Dr. Natascha Zaun is a full-time Professor of Political Science with a focus on Public Policy and Law at the Institute of Political Science (IPW), Leuphana University Lüneburg. She previously held positions as Associate Professor and Assistant Professor for Migration Studies at the London School of Economics (2017-2023) and a Junior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford (2016-2017).

• Education: Magistra Artium in Political Science, International Law, and Romance Studies (Bonn), Licence in Franco-German Studies (Paris), PhD (Dr. rer. Pol.) from Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences.

Her research spans European and international public policy, particularly asylum and migration politics, the role of populism, scientific evidence in policy-making, and judicial independence in migration governance. She explores how nativist populism, institutional frameworks, and cross-border cooperation shape EU migration policies.

Her recent publications address EU crisis governance, the Visegrád Group’s influence, judicial protection mechanisms, and pseudo-causal narratives in the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. Key themes include responsibility-sharing, policy deadlocks, and supranational integration challenges.

Her career includes affiliations with the European Institute (LSE), Refugee Studies Centre (Oxford), and Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz. She has contributed to debates on the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and EU institutional dynamics during migration crises.