Sophia Balakian

Sophia Balakian is a part-time lecturer at George Mason University's School of Integrative Studies, specializing in sociocultural anthropology and forced migration studies. Her research focuses on the intersection of humanitarian policies, securitization, and kinship structures in refugee resettlement processes.

• PhD in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Cornell University

Research Interests:

• Post-9/11 security impacts on refugee admissions
• Kinship dynamics in displacement contexts
• Ethnographic analysis of bureaucratic systems
• Caregiving practices in East African diasporas
• Biometric verification in migration policy
• Legal and moral economies of resettlement

Recent Publications examine refugee strategies for migration futures, kinship reconfigurations in resettlement, and critiques of DNA testing in policy frameworks. Her work spans multiple disciplines including anthropology, sociology, and public policy.

Scientific Awards & Grants:

• Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship (2016)
• Harvard Academy Scholar (2019-2020, 2022-2023)
• Wenner-Gren Foundation Fieldwork Grant (2013)
• Social Science Research Council IDRF (2013)
• Woodrow Wilson Foundation Newcombe Fellowship (declined, 2016)