Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Katie Kuschminder has won a ‘Rubicon’ grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). Kuschminder will now spend two years at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute, close to Florence in Italy.
Research
Kuschminder will conduct research on Nigerian and Syrian migrants arriving in Europe via Italy. At present most Syrian migrants do not request asylum in Italy, but travel on to other European countries including Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. However, the majority of Nigerian migrants do request asylum in Italy. Kuschminder will examine the decision-making processes within these two groups, based on interviews held in Milan and Sicily. She will also follow the migrants for four months to determine whether they follow through with their original plans.
Rubicon
The ‘Rubicon’ programme enables science postdocs to carry out research at a foreign institute for up to 24 months. Of the 81 researchers who submitted an application in this round, 16 were awarded a grant from the NWO.
Adapted from an earlier press release from Maastricht University.