We received an exceptional number of applications covering a wide range of disciplines, methodological approaches, and academic backgrounds. We are delighted to welcome this new cohort and look forward to supporting them as they begin their journeys as the next generation of migration scholars.
Ajit Prasad
Prof. Ramkrishna More College, Savitribai Phule Pune University
My PhD research examines how structural inequalities and social injustices shape migration, and how migration, in turn, reshapes these power relations. I aim to highlight migration’s complex role in both sustaining and challenging exploitation. By joining the IMISCOE PhD Academy, I look forward to connecting with an interdisciplinary network of scholars and contributing insights from the Global South on the interaction between migration and social hierarchies.
Vojtěch Kocourek
Charles University, Prague
My PhD research is focused on language policy in Switzerland regarding integration of immigrants. As part of the PhD Academy, I hope to meet other researchers, share our experiences and learn from each other. I also appreciate the offered training on publishing, applying for grants, etc, specific to the field of migration studies.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vojt%C4%9Bch-k-936831385/
Claudia Castillo-Ayala
University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)
My PhD research examines migration as a disabling process, with a focus on how disability and policy intersect along migration routes through Mexico toward the United States. I aim to contribute a Latin American perspective that highlights knowledge creation from the Global South and shows how Disability Studies can reshape migration research through localized and decolonial approaches. I am excited to join the IMISCOE PhD Academy and to engage with a diverse international network of scholars advancing understandings of migration and disability from all over the world.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-castillo-4a2a63b1/
Ayobami Emmanuel Omolusi
UM6P: University Mohammed VI Polytechnic
My PhD research is about how social dynamics and collective actions in migration shape African migrants’ journeys and destination choices. I joined the IMISCOE PhD Academy to strengthen my skills in publishing, collaboration, and career development, while also building meaningful connections with migration scholars across disciplines. I am also seeking guidance to navigate prospects in the migration studies field. As a researcher working closely with African migrants in Morocco, I aim to contribute grounded perspectives on migrant networks, digital platforms, and collective behavior to enrich the Academy’s diverse community.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ayobami-omolusi-273a51116/
Eurídice Hernández Gomes
University of Helsinki
My PhD research focuses on the social infrastructure and identity construction of cross-cultural children and youth with Latin American heritage in Helsinki. I want to join the IMISCOE PhD Academy because it offers a unique platform to exchange ideas and learn from fellow researchers in migration studies. I believe knowledge is collectively produced, and this supportive network offers fertile ground for collaboration and mutual growth.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eurídice-hernández
Tulika Bourai
Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Pilani Campus
My PhD research looks at the current climate crises in the Uttarakhand Himalayas and people’s mobility and immobility choices under a resource-constrained scenario. I aim to provide a holistic picture of the migration system by analyzing both formal and informal processes influencing people’s decisions. IMISCOE PhD academy is a great means for collaborative research and mutual career advancement. Together, the peer-to-peer exchanges can contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the various types of migration, along with its causes, consequences, and challenges. I strongly believe that this platform can be effectively utilised for debating emerging migratory concerns that require immediate attention from both policymakers and academia.
LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/tulika-bourai-b92444295
Assia Oueldelferraga
University of Padova & KU Leuven
My PhD research is about citizenship education and adolescents’ civic resilience to extremist discourse in contexts of migration and inequality. I joined the IMISCOE PhD Academy to exchange ideas with peers working on migration and inequality and to strengthen the interdisciplinary dimension of my doctoral project. I also look forward to contributing through the Standing Committee on Education and Social Inequality and linking education research with broader debates in migration studies.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/assia-oueldelferraga-2a0b281bb/
Ana Beatriz Baselice Pelicioni
University of Warsaw
My PhD research investigates how the spatial and material aspects of Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda shape refugees’ sense of place in protracted displacement. I am very happy and excited to join the IMISCOE PhD Academy, as it offers a space for exchanging ideas, learning from diverse perspectives, and building connections that foster new knowledge and insights.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anabeatrizpelicioni/
Twitter/X: @pelicionianabe
Ceren Taşköprü
University of Cádiz
My research explores local migration governance in four medium-sized European cities, framed by an intercultural approach. I’m really excited to be joining the IMISCOE PhD Academy, as it provides an inspiring arena for collaboration among researchers in the field of migration studies. I believe it will offer excellent opportunities to exchange ideas, strengthen our academic paths, and grow personally within a supportive international network."
Elenie Sarciat
Université libre de Bruxelles, Laboratory of Anthropology of Contemporary World (LAMC), co-supervised at the University of Strasbourg, Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Cultural Studies (LinCS)
My PhD research explores power dynamics within solidarity spaces that support people experiencing various forms of (im)mobility, with a particular focus on sexual and reproductive health care. Joining the IMISCOE PhD Academy offers a valuable opportunity to foster supportive connections, engage in collective learning, and gain confidence and legitimacy within the international community of migration scholars. I believe these workshops will provide not only meaningful mentorship and peer feedback, but also essential guidance for long-term academic development.
Hevidar Isik
University of Münster
My PhD research explores the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion experienced by migrants in Germany in diasporic spaces such as mosques. I am excited to join the IMISCOE PhD Academy, as it offers a unique platform to engage with migration scholars, exchange perspectives across disciplines and contexts, and build a supportive academic community throughout the PhD journey.
https://de.linkedin.com/in/hevidar-isik-31056a193
Adéla Chvílová Kolářová
Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
I study how older migrants from Ukraine, Vietnam and Romania in Czechia secure social protection from the state, social networks, non-governmental organisations and the market. IMISCOE PhD academy is a great possibility to connect in sometimes lonely journey of early-career researchers. I am looking forward to sharing ideas, feedback and passion for meaningful migration research.
Rokhaya Ndione
University of Liège and the Gaston Berger University
My PhD research is about the aging of Senegalese women migrants in Belgium and France, facing their aspirations to return. It aims to understand the possible influence of aging when it comes, for Senegalese women migrants, to take, or not the decision to return. Therefore, I am trying to refine concepts like social gerontology, transnational mobility, gender and migration, aspirations, agency, and return, for more comprehension about my research. Being part of the IMISCOE PhD Academy is such a great opportunity. I was strongly motivated by joining an international Network to develop and share my research experiences and knowledge. I hope that it would be a supportive and rigorous space for exchange, innovation, and deep learning about migration studies. I am also honored to be able to join researchers in other fields of migration for productive prospects.
http://linkedin.com/in/rokhaya-ndione-7533a91b8
Ambi
Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID)
My PhD investigates how platform-mediated work (delivery, ride-hailing) reshapes the livelihoods, time, and governance encounters of internal migrants in emerging economies. I am eager to join this year's cohort of the IMISCOE PhD Academy, as it enables critical and interdisciplinary dialogue on doing migration and mobility research. I am excited to learn from a rich and diverse network of migration scholars. I look forward to contributing to discussions on positionality, data sovereignty, and participatory practice
Abdul Fattah
Ludovika University of Public Service
My PhD research explores the gap between pre-migration aspirations and post-migration integration outcomes of Bangladeshi migrants in the European Union. Combining theories of migration aspiration and integration domanis, I examine how social network, economic pressures, and structural constraints shape migration decisions and assess actual socio-economic integration outcome in Europe. Using mixed methods—including surveys, interviews, and digital ethnography with aspirant migrants in Bangladesh and Bangladeshi migrants in Rome, Vienna, and Budapest—I aim to explain why high aspirations often lead to precarious outcomes and to inform more equitable migration and integration policies.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afbd/