Dr. Lea Müller-Funk is a Senior Researcher at Danube University Krems' Department for Migration and Globalisation and an Associate at the GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies. She holds a joint PhD in Political Science and Arabic Studies from Sciences Po Paris and the University of Vienna, with a dissertation focusing on transnational activism during the Arab Uprisings. Her research focuses on forced migration governance, conflict-driven mobility, diaspora politics, and Middle Eastern and European policy dynamics. Education highlights include a Magister in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Vienna, an M.A. in Comparative Politics (specializing in the Middle East) from Sciences Po Paris, and extensive exchange programs in Paris. She has held fellowships at the University of Amsterdam, University of Oxford, and Sciences Po Paris. Her work examines drivers of migration, state strategies in conflict zones, and transnational political participation. Key projects include studies on Syrian displacement governance, Maghreb refugee regime strategies, and migration policy in post-colonial Tunisia. Awards include the 2023 Routledge Interdisciplinarity Award and the 2019 IMISCOE Best Paper Award. Publications span peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, and policy-focused infographics analyzing refugee trajectories and governance frameworks. She co-leads projects like MAGYC (EC Horizon 2020) on migration crises and contributes to teaching migration studies at European universities.







