At CRASH, we study migration not only as movement but as a process of transforming skills, resources, and societies across borders.
CRASH Center for Research on Social Change and Human Mobility, based at Kozminski University in Warsaw, is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to understanding the dynamics of migration and the broader social transformations associated with it in contemporary societies. Established in 2021, CRASH brings together scholars from sociology, economics (and econometrics), and political science to study migration as a multidimensional process embedded in labour markets, technological change, and transnational social relations.
Our research is grounded in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, with a strong emphasis on mixed-method approaches and methodological innovations. We focus particularly on international labour migration, human and mobility capital, transnational practices, and the intersection of migration with automation and artificial intelligence. A distinctive feature of our work is the development of innovative research tools, including digital platforms such as mymigration.academy and mymobility.academy, which combine research with practical applications for mobility planning and labour market integration, with feedback for participants.
CRASH operates at the intersection of fundamental and applied research. Beyond academic outputs, we actively translate findings into evidence-based policy recommendations at local, national, and European levels. We collaborate closely with public institutions, international organizations, and civil society actors, including the City of Warsaw, European Employment Services (EURES), the European Commission, the European Labour Authority, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Poland and NGOs supporting migrants such as the Ukrainian House in Warsaw. This embeddedness allows us to contribute to ongoing policy debates on labour migration, skills matching, and migrant integration.
Our research portfolio includes major international projects such as Link4Skills (Horizon Europe), where CRASH acts as the scientific coordinator, focusing on skills, labour market transformations, and migration corridors. We have also contributed to projects such as MIMY (Horizon 2020) on the integration of young migrants, and BigMig, which explores digital and analogue traces of migrants. These projects reflect our commitment to combining theoretical advancement with empirical depth and societal relevance.
The CRASH team consists of senior scholars, early-career researchers, and PhD candidates with complementary expertise in labour migration, Ukrainian migration, social and political integration, technological change, and new methodologies. Our work is strongly embedded in the Central and Eastern European context, while simultaneously contributing to global migration debates. In particular, our research on Ukrainian migration in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion provides timely insights into forced migration, resilience, and mobility trajectories.
Within the IMISCOE network, we see our role as both contributors and connectors. Our research aligns closely with several Standing Committees, particularly Migration, Migrants and Labour Markets (IILME), Migrant Transnationalism (MITRA), Forced Migration and Refugees (FMR), and methodological initiatives such as Meth@Mig. We aim to actively contribute to these platforms through collaborative research, joint publications, and participation in IMISCOE events.
At the same time, we place strong emphasis on supporting early-career researchers. Through engagement with the IMISCOE PhD Network and training activities, we seek to foster the next generation of migration scholars and strengthen transnational academic exchange. We also view IMISCOE as a key space for developing new research collaborations and advancing comparative perspectives on migration.
By becoming an institutional member of IMISCOE, CRASH consolidates its long-standing engagement with the network and contributes to its development as a leading global platform for migration research. We are committed to active participation, knowledge exchange, and the co-creation of research that addresses the complex challenges of migration in a rapidly changing world.