Career

 

March 2019       Awarded the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. Starting date: 1 August 2019.

October 2012 – July 2019

 Professor, Robert Schuman Chair, Global Governance Programme, 

Director of the Research Area on Cultural Pluralism, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Florence, Italy

                              Tasks: Directs a 12 people strong team of researchers working on migration and diversity issues developing cutting edge research on the challenges that cultural and religious diversity brings to global and European governance. Fund raising for research; Outreach activities including high level policy seminars and policy papers as well as contacts with European and international policy makers, civil society and the business community and public engagement activities; Networking with research centres and Universities in other countries and continents. Develops innovative teaching methods such as Massive Open Online Courses as an outreach strategy; and Executive Training seminars for mid-career professionals, academics and civil society representatives on related topics; Supervision of post-doctoral fellows and other junior or senior researchers.          

                              NEW PROJECTS:

BRaVE (2019-2021) Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism and Polarisation  –        Coordinator

GREASE (2018-2021) Radicalisation, Secularism and the Governance of Religion: 

Bringing together European and Asian Perspectives – Coordinator

                              

                              Other ongoing projects

                              SIRIUS (2018-2021) Skills and Integration of Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Applicants in European Labour Markets – Partner

 

                              Recently completed projects: 

                              Going beyond Raising Awareness on Migrant Exploitation in Italian Agriculture (2018-2019) – Coordinator of a small project funded by the Open Society Foundations.

                              CULTURAL BASE (2015-2017) on the European Cultural Heritage.

DemandAT (2014-2017) Addressing Demand in Anti-Trafficking Efforts and Policies. Leader of the Workpackage on Trafficking demand and the domestic work sector

                              ITHACA (2013-2015) on Integration, Transnational Mobility and Human, Social and Economic Capital Transfers. Scientific Coordinator.

TRAFFICKO (2015-2016) On Trafficking for Labour Exploitation in the Agriculture and Domestic Work in Italy.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs):

I have recently developed seven MOOCs in cooperation with the Future Learn platform and Dr Jeremie Molho and Dr Nick Dines.

  • Cultural Heritage and the City
  • Cultural Diversity and the City
  • European Identities and Cultures
  • Why People Migrate? Facts
  • Why People Migrate? Theories
  • Migration and Cities
  • Cultural Diplomacy 2.0

Four new MOOCs are (will be) launched (in collaboration with Dr Jeremie Molho, Dr Tina Magazzini and Dr Richard McNeil-Willson) in summer/fall 2019:

  • Culture in the Digital Age (June 2019)
  • Governing Religious Diversity (June 2019)
  • Religion, Radicalisation, Resilience (Sept 2019)
  • Interfaith Dialogue: Preventing Violent Radicalization and Building Resilience among Youth (Jan 2020)
     

2002-2018           Visiting Professor, College of Europe, Bruges.

Tasks: MA Course on European Migration: Challenges and Opportunities at the European and General Studies programme.

April-September 2013 : During this period I was Director ad interim of the Global Governance Programme, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European  University Institute, Florence, Italy

 Tasks: In addition to the tasks mentioned above in my capacity as Scientific Director of the Research Strand on Cultural Pluralism, I was responsible for: the scientific management of a team of 30 people (among professors, research fellows and research assistants and administrative staff) including: Developing a strategy for the GGP’s research, policy and training activities; Taking decisions about funding of various activities; Contributing and overseeing all academic and policy events organised; Supervising the overall communication strategy of the Programme; Keeping contacts and networking with directors of other institutes and research centres as well as working closely with the Director of the RSCAS on the issues of concern to the Global Governance Programme.

 

Dec 2009-Sep 2012: Professor (part time), Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Florence, Italy

Tasks: Directs three Research Projects on migration: METOIKOS studies circular migration in Europe and its neighbourhood looking at patterns of circular migration and (re-)integration of migrants in southeastern Europe, southern Europe and North Africa and central-eastern Europe. The second project ACCEPT PLURALISM looks at tolerance and related concepts, policies and practices adopted in a wide range of European countries (15 in total) to deal with cultural diversity of both migrant and native minority groups. The most recent project she is directing (MEDIVA) studies the representation of migrants in the media and proposes ways for empowering migrants through the media.

 

2004-to date   Senior Research Fellow, ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy), Athens, Greece.

Tasks: Directs the migration research team of ELIAMEP (currently five-member strong), is the Greek team leader of MOVEACT a project on EU citizenship and intra EU migrants funded by the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme of DG HOME, and IME, a FP7 research project funded by DG Research of the European Commission, studying European identity and modernity. She conducts empirical and theoretical research in the wider field of migration studies and European integration including issues of policy, identity and discourses. She is the National Correspondent for the OECD network on international migration (SOPEMI), the IOM network of experts on labour migration (LINET) and the National Editor of the European Integration Web Site.

During her stay at ELIAMEP she has developed the following European and international research projects (in ascending order):

Coordinator with Dia Anagnostou: EUROREG (Minorities, EU policies and regional development) (2004-07, EU funded, FP5)

Co-coordinator: POLITIS (active immigrant civic participation in the EU) (2004-07),

Team leader and co-coordinator: EMEDIATE (2004-07) (European public sphere and international crises in the media) (EU funded, FP5);

Co-ordinator: MIGSYS (migration policies, migrants and migration systems) (2006-07) (funded by the International Metropolis Network and PME, Switzerland),

Co-ordinator: EMILIE (legal, political and education challenges related to cultural diversity in Europe) (2006-09) (EU funded, FP6),

Team leader: IDEA (migration policy in Europe) (2007-09) (EU funded, FP6)

Co-ordinator: CLANDESTINO (irregular migration in Europe) (2007-09) (EU funded, FP6).

Team leader: FRIM (Irregular migrants’ access to their fundamental rights in the EU (2009-2010) (funded by the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA))

Team leader with Thanos Maroukis: Treatment of Irregular Migrants at the Borders (2010-2012) (funded by FRA)

 

2007-2010       Assistant Professor (Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια), Sociology of Migration and Migration Policy, Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece.

Tasks: Teaches two courses on Migration theory and policy; and European migration and two courses in qualitative methods for the social sciences (introductory level and advanced). Has supervised 2 doctoral students and one BA thesis.
 

2000-2007       Project Director (with Professor Bo Stråth) and Senior Research Fellow, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Florence.

Tasks: Full-time for the period 2000-2004, part-time in 2004-2007. She co-ordinated the EUI research team and conducted empirical and theoretical research in the following international research projects:

Project co-ordinator with Bo Strath: IAPASIS (2000-2003) (Migration policy implementation and migrants’ strategies for survival) (EU funded, FP5)

Project co-ordinator with Bo Strath: EURONAT (2001-2004) (European and National Identities. Media, Elites and Civil Society’) (EU funded, FP5)

Team leader with Bo Strath: CITY SPACES (2002-2005) (Cultural citizenship and migrant participation to cultural policy and cultural production) (EU funded, FP5)

Team leader and co-coordinator of project: POLITIS (2004-07) (Immigrant civic participation across Europe) (EU funded FP5)

 

2001-2002       Benjamin Meaker Visiting Professor and Colston Fellow, Department of Sociology, University of Bristol, Bristol, England (2 months).

Tasks: Gave seminars on national identity and migration and developed a book project on Multicultural Citizenship with Tariq Modood.

 

2001                     EU-Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at New York University, Centre for European Studies, New York City (spring semester).

Tasks: Participated in an international team of researchers based at four NYC Universities (NYU, CUNY, Columbia, New School), conducted research on migration policy implementation in the USA.

 

1999-2000       Jean Monnet Fellow, RSCAS and European Forum, EUI, Florence.

Tasks: Participated in the European Forum on Identities, Interests and Political Representation directed by Stefano Bartolini, Thomas Risse and Bo Strath (1999-2001). Conducted research on national identity, European identity and migration, analysed media discourses in four European countries, wrote a book on Negotiating Nationhood in a Changing Europe.

 

1997-1999       Marie Curie Fellow, Institute of Psychology, National Research Council (CNR), Rome.

Tasks: Conducted empirical and theoretical research on national identity and migration, finished a book on Migration and National Identity in Europe, supervised two graduate research assistants.

 

1995-1997       T H Marshall Fellow in Sociology, department of Sociology, London School of Economics and Politics, London.

Tasks: Conducted research on nationalism, xenophobia and racism, conducted an MA and a PhD seminar replacing Professor Anthony D. Smith who was on sabbatical, participated in the Nations and Nationalism Research Group initially at the dept of sociology and later at the European Institute of the LSE. She has remained since then actively involved in ASEN (Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism).

 

1994-1995       Research Fellow, department of Sociology, University of Surrey Guildford, England (spring semester).

 Tasks: Conducted empirical and theoretical research in Brussels mainly on environmental policy making, wrote reports and participated at project meetings.

 

1994-1995       Stagiaire, Secretary General of the European Commission, Brussels (winter semester).

Tasks: Research and administrative support.

 

1992-1994       Research Associate, to Professor Klaus Eder, department of Social and Political Sciences, EUI, Florence.

Tasks: Conducted research on environmentalist cultures in Europe, wrote reports, participated at project meetings.