Gilbert Fridgen is Full Professor in Digital Financial Services and holder of the PayPal-FNR PEARL Chair at the University of Luxembourg's Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT). He leads the FINATRAX research group focusing on blockchain, digital identity, and sustainable digital solutions. His research explores decentralized technologies in finance, energy systems, and public administration. Current projects investigate blockchain applications in industrial demand response, NFT markets, EU digital identity wallets, and DeFi institutional adoption. Prof. Fridgen examines the intersection of technology with regulatory frameworks and user behavior in energy and financial systems. He collaborates extensively with industry partners including PayPal and Spuerkeess. Prof. Fridgen actively contributes to EU digital policy discussions, particularly regarding the European Digital Identity Wallet framework and decentralized finance governance.
Adèle Garnier is an Associate Professor at the Department of Geography, Université Laval's Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics. She serves as Director of undergraduate geography programs and the certificate in sustainable tourism. Her research focuses on political geography, migration dynamics, and humanitarian governance, particularly examining refugee labor market participation, temporary migration policies, and technological impacts on immigration systems. Education : PhD in Political Science (Macquarie University/Universität Leipzig, 2012), MA in Political Science (Universität Leipzig, 2006), Diploma in Political Science (Paris, 2002) Her research integrates political geography , migration studies , and geographies of inequality , analyzing power structures in migration governance. Recent work explores Canada's digitalization of immigration, multiscalar impacts of refugee policies, and settler-colonial migration frameworks. Current research trends focus on technological governance of migration , refugee resettlement , and marketization of humanitarian services , with interdisciplinary approaches bridging political science and geography. Research Units : Graduate School of International Studies (ESEI), Immigration Research Team (ERIQA), Cultures-Arts-Societies Center (CELAT) Collaborations : Study Group on Ethnic Relations (Flers), Center for Refugee Studies (York University), Peace Research Institute Oslo She supervises graduate students in geography and co-leads multiple funded projects, including Liberating Migrant Labour (2023-2030) and digital migration governance research (2023-2028).
Mariana Gkliati is an Assistant Professor of International and EU Law at Radboud University, Nijmegen. She holds a Graduate Diploma in Law (Magna Cum Laude) from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and a Legal Research Master (Summa Cum Laude) from Utrecht University. Her PhD from Leiden University focused on Frontex accountability, supervised by Professors Rodrigues and Besselink, and was supported by the Meijers Research Institute. Education: PhD in Immigration Law, Leiden University (2016-2020) Legal Research Master, Utrecht University (Summa Cum Laude) Graduate Diploma in Law, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Magna Cum Laude) Her research interests center on migration, refugee law, and human rights, particularly the accountability of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex). She leads the externally funded project 'European Border and Coast Guard Agency: Systemic Accountability in Practice,' involving an 8-member team. Her work emphasizes evidence-based policy-making and anti-smuggling policies. Professional Activities: Research Affiliate, Refugee Law Initiative (RLI), University of London Teaches on the RLI MA in Refugee Protection and Forced Migration Studies Former visiting Research Fellow at the School of Advanced Study (2016) and Amsterdam Centre for Migration and Refugee Law (2019-2020) Awards: Magna Cum Laude, Graduate Diploma in Law Summa Cum Laude, Legal Research Master Her grants and projects include systemic accountability research on Frontex. She advises NGOs, law firms, and the European Parliament, and contributes to expert reports on migration and borders. Labs/Teams: Leads an 8-member research team for her funded project on Frontex accountability.
Lyubov Zhyznomirska is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Saint Mary's University, specializing in European studies, migration governance, and democratization processes. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Alberta (2012), with a focus on EU migration cooperation with Eastern neighbors. Her current research examines the reception of war-displaced Ukrainians in Canada, the UK, and Germany. She has held a Jean Monnet Post-Doctoral Fellowship and is active in research networks such as the European Community Studies Association-Canada and the Migration Research Network. Teaching focuses on comparative politics, European Union politics, and migration studies. Recent SSHRC-funded projects include studies on Ukrainian refugee integration in Nova Scotia and the impact of temporary status on newcomer youth. Awards include the Jean Monnet Post-Doctoral Fellowship (2011-2012). Research interests include forced displacement, post-war societies, and EU-Ukraine-Russia dynamics. She co-edited The Routledge Handbook of the Politics of Migration in Europe (2019) and publishes in journals such as Comparative European Politics . Professional roles include Treasurer of ECSA-Canada (2021-2024) and President of the Atlantic Provinces Political Science Association (2022-2023).
James Tilley is a Professor of Politics at the University of Oxford's Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) and a Fellow and Tutor in Politics at Jesus College. His research focuses on public opinion, electoral behavior, and political identity, particularly in the context of Britain and the EU. He explores themes like voter responsibility attribution, class voting dynamics, and the emergence of post-Brexit political identities. Tilley has published influential works such as Blaming Europe (2014) and The New Politics of Class (2017), examining issues ranging from working-class political exclusion to the role of social cleavages. His media contributions include BBC Radio 4 documentaries on topics like political polarization and generational political attitudes. Teaching responsibilities include Political Sociology (PPE/HP) and Prelims Politics tutorials. His research spans over three decades, addressing evolving political identities, the impact of echo chambers on polarization, and the intersection of personality traits with political engagement. Tilley collaborates widely, with co-authors such as Sara Hobolt and Geoff Evans, and his work often intersects with contemporary issues like Brexit's societal effects and Northern Irish electoral behavior. Recent publications (2023–2025) analyze regional EU spending impacts, narcissism's role in polarization, and neighborhood effects on political divisions. His work bridges academic rigor with public engagement, contributing to debates on democracy, identity, and governance.
Alessandro Monsutti is a Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. He holds additional roles as Faculty Associate at the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding, Global Migration Centre, and Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy. His research focuses on transnational networks, forced migration, and conflict dynamics in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, and Europe. Education: PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Neuchâtel (2002). Prior roles include Research Fellowships at Yale University (2008–2010) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (1999–2000), and Visiting Professorships at the University of Vienna and Arizona State University. Research Interests: Migration studies, border studies, political economy of post-conflict reconstruction, diaspora dynamics, and the intersection of globalization with local practices. His fieldwork spans Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Western countries, emphasizing the agency of displaced populations and the socio-economic strategies they employ. Scientific Contributions: Over 30 peer-reviewed articles and authored/edited books including Homo itinerans: Towards a Global Ethnography of Afghanistan (2021) and War and Migration (2005). His work bridges ethnographic rigor with policy relevance, addressing themes like refugee integration, urban migration, and global governance. Grants & Awards: MacArthur Foundation Grantee (2004–2006), Swiss National Science Foundation grants for projects on urban cohabitation and Afghan crisis analysis. Co-led initiatives on adolescent migration and border policy in South Asia. Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Refugee Studies Centre (Oxford), Global Migration Centre (Geneva), and international NGOs like UNHCR. Active in editorial boards of journals like Tsantsa and ethnographiques.org .
Magnus Dahlstedt is Professor of Social Work at Linköping University's Department of Culture and Society (IKOS) since 2019, previously holding the same position at ISV (Institution for Social and Welfare Studies) from 2015-2019. He has been responsible for the research environment and doctoral education in Social Work at Linköping University from 2016 to 2023. His academic journey began with a PhD in Ethnicity from Linköping University in 2005, followed by becoming a docent (associate professor) in 2009 and a biträdande professor (associate professor) in 2014 before achieving full professorship in 2015. Dahlstedt's research centers on citizenship formation in contemporary society shaped by welfare policy transformations and international migration. His work examines how citizenship is concretely formed in segregated urban environments, focusing particularly on the gap between formal rights and substantive living conditions. He investigates social pedagogical efforts across public policy, education, and the non-profit sector, with special attention to vulnerable groups including young people with foreign backgrounds in urban peripheries. His methodological approach is interdisciplinary, grounded in critical power analysis, discourse analysis, and ideological critique, often involving cross-disciplinary research collaborations. His recent publications reveal consistent thematic focus on migration, social inclusion, and urban segregation, with particular emphasis on how sports can serve as tools for social purposes in marginalized communities. The research shows increasing attention to longitudinal studies of migrants' trajectories and the role of different educational contexts (high school, folk high schools, study associations) in integration processes. Dahlstedt's work demonstrates strong policy relevance, with findings frequently presented in government agency reports and informing public debate on segregation and inclusion. Researcher at Center for Community Strategies Research (2018-2021) Member of Mimerrådet, National Program for Folk Education Research (since 2014) Department Head at Remeso, Linköping University (2012-2015) Dahlstedt actively contributes to public discourse through media appearances, public lectures, and alternative writing projects including the anthology 'Brandtal' (2023) and 'Hårdare kan ingen vara' (2023), while preparing 'En professors dagbok' for publication in fall 2024. His research is funded by multiple agencies including Vetenskapsrådet, Norrköping Research and Development Fund, and the Swedish Crime Prevention Council.
Professor George Palattiyil is a Personal Chair of Social Work and Refugee Studies at the University of Edinburgh , with a focus on forced migration, HIV/AIDS, human rights, and social work education. He leads interdisciplinary initiatives like the Global Refugee Health Research Network and contributes to teaching across BSc, MSW, and MSc programmes. PhD in Social Work (University of Strathclyde, 1999) Masters in Social Work (Kerala, India) His research bridges social work and public health, emphasizing lived experiences of refugees, HIV-affected families, and older populations. Recent projects include: Impact of COVID-19 on families of care home residents in Scotland Adolescent reproductive health in Uganda, Jordan, and Bangladesh HIV/TB care barriers for refugees in Kampala Human rights of HIV-positive asylum seekers Cross-border surrogacy ethics Scientific achievements include: Senior Fellow , UK Higher Education Academy Best Personal Tutor Award (2019) Editorial work on Social Work in a Global Context He supervises PhD projects on topics like Queer women in Kerala , Refugee detention alternatives , and intergenerational care in China . His teaching integrates cross-cultural experiences, including abroad programmes to India.
Natasha Carver is a Senior Lecturer at the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol. Her work focuses on migration, gender, and colonial legacies, particularly in the context of FGM-safeguarding policies and their socio-political impacts. She holds an MSc and PhD, though specific disciplinary details are not provided. Her research critiques policy frameworks that marginalize migrant communities, especially those of Somali heritage in the UK. Her research interests include migratory legal frameworks, gendered and racialized power dynamics, and the intersection of colonial history with contemporary policy. She has conducted extensive studies on the over-surveillance of migrant-heritage families and the epistemological injustices embedded in FGM safeguarding procedures. Her publications highlight systemic issues in UK policies, advocating for evidence-based approaches over exaggerated risk narratives. She collaborates with interdisciplinary teams and engages with community perspectives to challenge hegemonic discourses in migration and gender studies. While no grants or lab affiliations are explicitly mentioned, her work frequently intersects with legal and healthcare systems.
Dr. Farzana Aman Tanima is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney Business School’s Accounting, Governance, and Regulation department. She previously held roles at the University of Wollongong (2017–2023). Her research focuses on critical and dialogic accounting, social justice, and challenging neoliberal frameworks through participatory approaches. Born in Bangladesh, she earned her PhD in 2015 from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, with a thesis on dialogic accounting practices for marginalized women. Education: PhD in Accounting, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015 Undergraduate Honours Degree, Victoria University of Wellington Research Interests: Dr. Tanima’s work centers on dialogic accounting to democratize accounting practices, with focus on NGOs, microfinance, Indigenous education, and race. She employs participatory action research and autoethnography to address systemic inequalities. Key areas include: Accounting’s role in empowerment and development Decolonizing accounting education through Jindaola Critical race theory and counter-accounting Awards: 2024 Mary Parker Follet Award (AAAJ Journal) 2020 VC OCTAL Teaching Award 2015 AFAANZ Best PhD Award Teaching & Mentorship: She leads pedagogical initiatives embedding Indigenous perspectives into curricula and fosters dialogic learning. Supervised two completed PhDs, with co-authored publications. Active in mentoring early-career researchers through invited talks and workshops. Labs/Teams: Part of the Alternative Accounting Research Network and editorial boards for CPA Journal and Financial Accountability & Management . Co-leads special issues on critical dialogics and publicness in accounting.
Dr. Shanna Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill University's Faculty of Education. She holds clinical licensure in Quebec and Ontario, with expertise in forensic child psychology and maltreatment-related research. Her work focuses on child lie-telling, commercial sexual exploitation, moral development, and eyewitness testimony. Prior roles include a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law and forensic law enforcement collaboration in Los Angeles. Education: Ph.D., McGill University: School/Applied Child Psychology M.A., McGill University: Educational Psychology B.A., McGill University: Psychology Postdoctoral Visiting Fellow, University of Southern California Research Interests: Lie-Telling Dynamics: Investigating how cognitive and social factors influence children's deception across contexts. Child Maltreatment: Developing trauma-informed forensic interview protocols and assessing maltreatment impacts on memory and disclosure. Legal Systems: Enhancing child-witness support through improved questioning techniques and cross-cultural legal practices. Publications Trends: Her recent work emphasizes pandemic-era challenges in child protection, digital exploitation, and legal system adaptations. Over 20 peer-reviewed articles address topics like forensic interviewing methods, maltreatment detection, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Awards: SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2016-2017) SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Fellowship (2010-2013) Advising & Grants: Supervises graduate students in child psychology and maltreatment studies. Research funded by SSHRC, NSF, and NIH grants focusing on forensic child development. Labs/Teams: Child Interviewing & Witness Lab Canadian Child Interviewing Research Team
Valentina Mazzucato is Professor of Globalisation and Development at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University, where she teaches and leads research in transnational migration and development. She founded and directed the research programme on Globalisation, Transnationalism and Development (2012–2020), co-founded the MA Globalisation and Development Studies, and led the development of the interdisciplinary BSc Global Studies. She is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and has held leadership roles in major research initiatives including the ERC Consolidator Grant project MO-TRAYL. Her educational background includes a BA in Political Science and French Literature from Williams College, an MSc in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University, and a PhD cum laude from Wageningen Agricultural University on indigenous soil and water conservation in Burkina Faso. Her research focuses on transnational migration between Africa and Europe, particularly the socio-economic and cultural impacts on migrants, their families, and communities. She employs mixed methods and multi-sited research designs, pioneering the simultaneous matched sample methodology. Her recent work explores transnational youth mobility, return visits, remittances, and temporalities of migration. The articles from 2024–2025 reveal a strong thematic consistency in migrant youth, transnational identity, methodological innovation, and policy implications, reflecting her leadership in interdisciplinary migration scholarship. ERC Consolidator Grant (2017–2023) for MO-TRAYL project Elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), 2019 Prof. Mazzucato has secured multiple international grants from NWO, NORFACE, and the ERC, enabling her to build transnational research teams and mentor PhD candidates and early-career researchers. She supervises Bachelor’s and Master’s theses and externally examines PhDs internationally. She is actively involved in policy engagement, having advised Queen Beatrix and participated in EU and NGO forums on migration and development. She also co-created a play with Ghanaian migrants to translate research into public dialogue. She leads the Transnational Links and Livelihoods Group and collaborates across institutions including Princeton University (Center for Migration and Development), African universities, and policy organizations. Her work bridges academic research, teaching innovation, and societal impact.
Robert Thomas is a Professor of Public Law at the University of Manchester's School of Law. He holds a LL.B. from Cardiff University (1995) and a Ph.D. from Nottingham University (1998). His research focuses on administrative law, immigration/asylum law, and administrative justice, with particular emphasis on tribunals, judicial review, and institutional design. He has advised the UK Parliament on immigration reforms and authored influential works like Administrative Justice and Asylum Appeals (2011), which won the Peter Birks Prize. His recent projects include studies on AI in governance, constitutional history, and systemic administrative justice failures. Thomas is actively involved in legal education, co-authoring Public Law (5th ed., 2024) and supervising postgraduate research in public law and immigration law. Key research contributions include empirical analyses of asylum appeals, administrative tribunals, and ombudsman practices. He has addressed challenges in public sector digitalisation, outsourcing impacts on administrative justice, and the implications of pandemic governance. Thomas advocates for administrative fairness agendas in immigration systems and contributes to legal scholarship through peer-reviewed articles and edited volumes on topics ranging from judicial review to constitutional caricature history. His awards include the 2011 Peter Birks Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship. Thomas engages with policy-making through expert testimony, public commentary, and collaborative research funded by the British Academy and Nuffield Foundation. His work intersects law, policy, and social justice, emphasizing the practical implications of legal frameworks on vulnerable populations.
Raquel E. Aldana is the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at UC Davis School of Law, where she rejoined as a full-time faculty member in 2020 after serving as Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Diversity (2017–2020). She holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and B.A. degrees in English and Spanish from Arizona State University (summa cum laude). Her academic career includes prior roles at the McGeorge School of Law and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as well as a Fulbright Scholarship in Guatemala (2006–2007). Her research focuses on transitional justice, criminal justice reform, sustainable development in Latin America, and immigrant rights. Aldana has authored or edited five books and over thirty law review articles, earning recognition through grants such as the UC Davis Academic Senate Interdisciplinary Grant for the project Building Bridges: Narrowing the Legal-Scientific Divide in Immigration Forensic Assessments . She teaches courses on immigration law, asylum, comparative forced displacement, and critical race theory. Aldana leads the Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies, co-directing its mission to advance interdisciplinary scholarship on race, ethnicity, and law. She co-founded the Critical Race Theory Book Series with UC Press, aiming to globalize and diversify critical race discourse. Her awards include the ABA’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award and the UC Davis Chancellor’s Achievement Award for Diversity. Her service includes roles on the American Law Institute, American Bar Foundation, and the Council on Foreign Relations. She chairs the ABA’s Latin America and Caribbean Council and co-chaired the UC Davis taskforce to achieve Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) status, realized in 2024. Her work integrates legal education, policy reform, and grassroots advocacy to address systemic inequities in migration, criminal justice, and global development.
Martin Ruhs is a Full-time Professor of Migration Studies and Deputy Director of the Migration Policy Centre (MPC) at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence. Previously, he served as Professor of Political Economy at the University of Oxford. His academic appointments include significant leadership roles at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies. Ruhs's research focuses on the economics and politics of international migration with a strong international comparative dimension. He is particularly interested in the links between migration and wider public policies, and the tensions between diversity in national institutions and supra-national policy-making. His work addresses key questions and dilemmas in public policy-making across Europe, North America, and Asia. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent focus on migration policy dilemmas, with particular emphasis on irregular migration, public perceptions of fairness in asylum systems, ethical considerations in migration governance, and the relationship between migration and welfare states. His research combines theoretical rigor with practical policy implications, often examining how institutional frameworks shape migration outcomes. Co-editor of the World Migration Report 2018 (IOM) Co-author of a 2022 European Parliament study on rights of irregular migrant workers Regular contributor to major media outlets including New York Times, Financial Times, Guardian, and Irish Times Ruhs currently provides policy analysis and advice for various national governments and international institutions. His supervisory work includes mentoring PhD students Andreea Ferent, Julie Fournier, and Hirotaka Fujibayashi. His ongoing research projects include 'Protecting Irregular Migrants in Europe (PRIME)' (2023-26), freeEUmove, MEDAM, DYNAMIG, MigResHub, AFAR, Dilemmas, and research on EU Member States' protection policies for Ukrainian refugees.
