International Panel on Migration
Bridging the Gap Between Migration Science and Public Understanding
Bridging the Gap Between Migration Science and Public Understanding
The IPM provides rigorous, independent scientific assessments on migration and displacement to inform policymakers, media, and the public through comprehensive research and evidence-based analysis.
The International Panel on Migration (IPM) is an action-oriented scientific organization, rooted in scholarly rigour and collective intelligence. It operates both as a clearinghouse and a platform, combining scientific excellence with active public engagement.
The IPM responds to the growing disconnect between science, public perception and understanding, and political discourse in the field of migration. By structuring and amplifying a pluralistic, reflexive, and globally representative scientific voice, the IPM aspires to reassert the legitimacy and utility of science in one of the most contentious domains of national politics and global governance.
The International Panel on Migration is a scientific, independent, interdisciplinary, international, and permanent organization that draws on cutting-edge research across social sciences to provide comprehensive and systematic knowledge on migration and displacement.
Its core mission is to communicate the results of academic research to inform the public sphere and provide necessary evidence for migration governance.
Carefully evaluating the latest evidence from all social sciences, adopting rigorous criteria that abide by the highest standards of research.
Led by an independent community of distinguished social scientists and scholars, free from personal, political, and institutional influence.
Gathering scientists from all relevant disciplines, acknowledging the range of methods used to study migration, mobility, and displacement.
Emphasizing a global perspective with strong regional balance, prioritizing collaboration with scholars from around the world.
A standing, independent body providing a stable platform for rigorous scientific investigation through sustained engagement.
During the transitional phase (2025-2027), the IPM establishes four thematic Working Groups as the core scientific engines of the panel. Each Working Group conducts rigorous, systematic assessments of the state of knowledge on a globally relevant migration research question.
Assessing the scientific evidence on climate change and human movement
Explore →Synthesizing evidence on migration's social dimensions across world regions
Explore →Building the evidence base on forced displacement, protection, and durable solutions
Explore →Assessing the demographic dimensions of migration and their long-term implications
Explore →Assessing the scientific evidence on climate change and human movement
Climate change is reshaping human mobility at a scale and speed that science is only beginning to document. Displacement driven by extreme weather events, slow-onset environmental degradation, sea-level rise, and resource scarcity is now one of the defining migration challenges of our time — yet the evidence base remains fragmented, contested, and poorly communicated to those who need it most.
The Working Group on Climate Mobility conducts a rigorous, systematic assessment of the state of scientific knowledge on the relationship between climate change and human movement. Drawing on evidence across geography, sociology, environmental science, economics, and public policy, it synthesizes what is known — and what remains uncertain — about the drivers, patterns, scale, and governance implications of climate-related mobility.
The Working Group assesses evidence from all world regions, with particular attention to areas most exposed to climate risk, including Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Small Island Developing States, and the Arctic. It actively counteracts the overrepresentation of destination-country perspectives in existing research by centering evidence from origin and transit contexts.
Scientific evidence on climate mobility is growing rapidly but remains siloed across disciplines and regions. Gaps between knowledge and policy have real consequences: communities at risk are inadequately protected, adaptation strategies are poorly calibrated, and international governance frameworks lack the evidence base they need. The Working Group bridges these gaps, producing authoritative, accessible, and policy-relevant assessments that can inform climate adaptation planning, migration governance, and humanitarian preparedness worldwide.
Synthesizing evidence on migration's social dimensions across world regions
Migration transforms societies — and societies shape migration. Yet the evidence on how migration intersects with social cohesion, identity, discrimination, integration, and public attitudes is deeply contested, frequently politicized, and unevenly distributed across world regions and academic traditions. At a moment when migration is central to political debates globally, the gap between what researchers know and what the public and policymakers believe has never been more consequential.
The Working Group on Migration and Society provides a systematic, cross-disciplinary assessment of evidence on the social dimensions of migration. This includes integration and incorporation of migrants in receiving societies; the effects of migration on social institutions and communities; public attitudes toward migration and migrants; discrimination and racism; transnational social ties; and the lived experiences of migrants themselves.
The Working Group integrates sociology, anthropology, political science, psychology, and cultural studies — combining qualitative, ethnographic, and participatory approaches alongside quantitative data. It incorporates perspectives from origin, transit, and destination country contexts, as well as internal migration dynamics across the Global South.
Migration scholarship is disproportionately concentrated in high-income destination countries in Europe and North America. This geographic imbalance shapes which questions are asked, which communities are studied, and which findings reach policy audiences. By assembling a globally representative body of expertise, the Working Group corrects this imbalance and helps policymakers design evidence-based integration and social cohesion strategies.
Building the evidence base on forced displacement, protection, and durable solutions
Forced migration — encompassing refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and others compelled to move by conflict, persecution, and violence — has reached historic levels, with over 120 million people forcibly displaced. Despite decades of humanitarian and academic engagement, major knowledge gaps persist: about the long-term trajectories of displaced populations, about conditions that enable durable solutions, and about protection gaps faced by those who do not fit neatly into legal categories.
The Working Group on Forced Migration and Displacement undertakes a comprehensive, evidence-based assessment of the scientific knowledge on forced displacement. It examines the causes, patterns, and scale of forced movement; legal and normative frameworks governing protection; the conditions and experiences of displaced populations over time; and the policies and interventions that shape outcomes for displaced people and host communities.
The Working Group spans law, political science, sociology, geography, public health, and economics, integrating evidence from contexts where displacement is most acute, including the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Americas. It brings together researchers from both academic and practitioner traditions, reflecting IPM's commitment to combining scientific rigor with real-world relevance.
Responses to forced displacement are too often reactive rather than evidence-informed. The knowledge base is fragmented across legal, humanitarian, and academic silos, and inadequately communicated to decision-makers. The Working Group produces authoritative, independent assessments that can strengthen protection frameworks, improve humanitarian programming, and support more effective, rights-based approaches to displacement globally.
Assessing the demographic dimensions of migration and their long-term implications
Migration is one of the most powerful forces shaping demographic change in the 21st century — influencing population size, age structure, labor markets, urbanization, and the long-term sustainability of social systems worldwide. Yet demographic evidence on migration is frequently oversimplified in public and policy discourse, poorly integrated across origin and destination perspectives, and inadequately linked to the structural forces — aging populations, fertility decline, urbanization, labor demand — that drive and are shaped by mobility.
The Working Group on Demography and Migration conducts a systematic, cross-national assessment of the demographic dimensions of human mobility. It examines migration flows and their measurement; the demographic characteristics and trajectories of migrant populations; effects of migration on population dynamics in sending and receiving countries; labor migration and economic integration; the relationship between migration and urbanization; and long-term demographic scenarios associated with different migration trends and policies.
The Working Group integrates demography, economics, sociology, statistics, and public policy, combining quantitative rigor with contextual analysis. It draws on data and evidence from all world regions, with explicit attention to the underrepresentation of Global South perspectives in demographic migration research.
Demographic evidence on migration is essential for sound long-term planning — for pension systems, labor markets, urban infrastructure, and social services. Yet demographic projections are rarely communicated accessibly, and their policy implications are frequently contested along political rather than scientific lines. The Working Group provides authoritative, independent assessments that anchor evidence-based demographic planning and challenge distortions in public debate.
The IPM applies an expertise threshold followed by a multi-dimensional diversity composition matrix. This process is documented publicly to ensure accountability and transparency.
Scored 0–5 across citation metrics, policy-relevant outputs, and leadership roles. Excellence is assessed relative to career stage and field — quantitative metrics inform but do not determine selection.
Each Working Group of 10–15 members must represent at least 6 disciplines, with a minimum of 30% qualitative and 30% quantitative researchers, and at least 20% mixed-methods or other approaches.
All major world regions must be represented. Minimum 40% of members from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). At least one expert each from origin, transit, and destination country contexts.
Parity target of 50% ±5% across Working Group membership and leadership positions. Blind initial scoring for expertise is applied, with gender balancing during final composition stage.
Composition rule: 40–60% senior scholars (20+ years post-degree), 20–40% mid-career (8–20 years), and 20–40% early career (0–7 years). This enhances innovation and prevents entrenchment of dominant paradigms.
IPM explicitly recruits beyond English-dominant publication networks. Primary publication language, inclusion of non-English scholarship, and experience in non-Western knowledge contexts are all tracked.
Contribute your expertise to global migration research and policy engagement. We're building a worldwide network of scholars committed to evidence-based migration discourse.
Express Your InterestThe IPM evolves incrementally into a fully constituted international scientific panel. The current phase (2025-2027) establishes the institutional architecture while laying the foundation for inclusive and decentralized participation.
Leadership body of 12-16 members composed of academics-scientists (¾) and non-scientists (¼). Sets the thematic agenda, approves the work plan, and serves as ambassadors of the IPM.
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Göttingen, Germany
National University of Singapore (NUS), Department of Geography
Waseda University, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Tokyo, Japan
University of Ghana, Centre for Migration Studies
International Institute for Migration and Development (IIMAD), India
El Colegio de México (COLMEX)
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Canada
The New School for Social Research; Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility
CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research); Sciences Po Paris
European University Institute (EUI), Florence, Italy
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research)
MPI Europe; Independent Consultant
Erasmus University Rotterdam; Leiden University
Comprising the President, three regional Vice-Presidents, and the Executive Director of the Secretariat. Implements the decisions of the Steering Committee.
President — Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity
Vice-President — El Colegio de México (COLMEX)
Vice-President — National University of Singapore
Vice-President — University of Ghana, Centre for Migration Studies
Based at the Zolberg Institute, The New School. Handles internal and external communications, community-building, public and political engagement, fundraising, and logistical coordination.
Executive Director of the Secretariat
Strategy Officer
Data Officer
Community Engagement and Design Officer
Thematic groups anchored in regional hubs (Africa, Asia-Oceania, Europe, Americas) that address themes of global relevance.
Composed of 10-20 non-voting observers from international organizations, donors, and civil society. Provides external feedback and reinforces diplomatic and political resonance.
A globally representative coalition of scientists committed to IPM's mission, serving as the author pool for future global and thematic assessment cycles.
Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility
The New School
New York, USA
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.migrationpanel.org
For press inquiries and media requests, please contact our communications team at [email protected]
Founding Director, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Göttingen, Germany
Steven Vertovec is an anthropologist and Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, based in Göttingen, Germany. Born in Chicago in 1957, he completed a B.A. in Anthropology and Religious Studies from the University of Colorado, Boulder (1979), an M.A. in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara (1982), and a D.Phil. in Social Anthropology from Oxford University (1988). He is also Honorary Joint Professor of Sociology and Ethnology at the University of Göttingen and Supernumerary Fellow at Linacre College, Oxford. He was Founding Director of the British Economic and Social Research Council's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS). He currently serves as co-Editor of the journal Global Networks and Editor of the Palgrave Macmillan book series 'Global Diversities'. His research focuses on international migration, ethnic diversity, transnationalism, and the concept of super-diversity, which has become widely influential in migration and urban diversity studies.
Raffles Professor of Social Sciences; Research Leader, Asian Migration Cluster
National University of Singapore (NUS), Department of Geography
Brenda S.A. Yeoh FBA is Raffles Professor of Social Sciences, Department of Geography, as well as Research Leader of the Asian Migration Cluster at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore (NUS). She was awarded the Vautrin Lud Prize for outstanding achievements in Geography in 2021. She served as Dean of the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences from 2010 to 2016 and has received numerous awards including the NUS Outstanding University Researcher Award (2000) and the Public Administration Medal (Silver) (2015). Her research interests include the politics of space in colonial and postcolonial cities, highly skilled talent migration, gender and care migration, and family dynamics and international marriage migrants.
Professor of Sociology; Director, Institute of Asian Migration
Waseda University, Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Tokyo, Japan
Gracia Liu-Farrer (Ph.D. Sociology, University of Chicago) is Professor of Sociology at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies and Director of the Institute of Asian Migration at Waseda University, Japan. Her research examines immigrants' economic, social and political practices in Japan, as well as transnational labor and student mobilities in East Asia and between Asia and Europe. She authored "Immigrant Japan: Mobility and Belonging in an Ethno-nationalist Society" (Cornell University Press, 2020) and serves on the editorial boards of International Migration Review, Migration Studies Journal, and Journal of Chinese Overseas.
Associate Professor of Migration Studies; Research Associate, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford
University of Ghana, Centre for Migration Studies
Prof. Leander Kandilige is an Associate Professor of Migration Studies at the Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana, Visiting Lecturer at the University of Northampton, and Research Associate at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford. He holds a D.Phil. in Migration Studies from the University of Oxford, as well as an MSt. in Forced Migration and an MA in International Affairs. His research interests are in migration and development, migration theory, labour migrations in Africa, diaspora and development, and return migration.
Chair/Founder, International Institute for Migration and Development (IIMAD)
International Institute for Migration and Development (IIMAD), India
S. Irudaya Rajan is a leading migration researcher and has held key positions in international migration research and policy development. He is recognized for his contributions to understanding migration patterns, remittances, and development linkages, particularly in the Global South. His work examines labor migration, return migration, and the development impacts of migration. He has served as advisor to various international organizations including the World Bank, IOM, and UN agencies, and has published extensively on South Asian migration dynamics.
Associate Professor, CEDUA; Coordinator, Seminar Migration, Inequality and Public Policies
El Colegio de México (COLMEX)
Claudia Masferrer is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Demographic, Urban, and Environmental Studies and Coordinator of the Seminar Migration, Inequality and Public Policies at El Colegio de México. She holds a PhD in Sociology (McGill University), an MSc in Statistics (University of Texas at Austin) and a BSc in Applied Mathematics (ITAM). Her research focuses on international migration, reintegration of returnees, immigrant integration, and demographic dynamics in North America. She is a member of the Mexican National Researchers System (SNI-Level 2) and has been an Associate Editor of International Migration Review (IMR) since 2023.
Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration; Director, Bridging Divides Initiative
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Canada
Anna Triandafyllidou is an internationally renowned sociologist and migration expert whose innovative interdisciplinary research influences debates and policies on migration and asylum, the management of cultural diversity, nationalism and identity, and contemporary global challenges of migration and integration. She has held the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Migration and Integration at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) since 2019, and is Scientific Director of Bridging Divides, a $98.6 million project funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. She has authored approximately 200 publications and since 2013 has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies.
Associate Professor of Politics; Director, Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility
The New School for Social Research; Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility
Mira Siegelberg is Associate Professor of Politics and Director of the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at The New School for Social Research. A historian trained at Harvard University (PhD 2014), she specializes in European and U.S. intellectual history, the history and theory of rights and legal thought, and the politics of citizenship and migration. Prior to joining The New School, she was Associate Professor of History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of King's College.
CNRS Director of Research
CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research); Sciences Po Paris
Thomas Lacroix is CNRS Director of Research in geography. He works on the relationships between immigrant transnationalism and the state, with a focus on North African transnationalism. He has published extensively on the migration and development relationship, diasporic memory, the moral geography of migration, and the theory of transnationalism. He was awarded a PhD in geography and political sciences at the University of Poitiers (2003) and is associate editor of Migration Studies and fellow of the Institut Convergence Migrations in Paris.
Professor of Migration Studies; Deputy Director, Migration Policy Centre
European University Institute (EUI), Florence, Italy
Martin Ruhs is Professor of Migration Studies and Deputy Director of the Migration Policy Centre (MPC) at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence. He was previously Professor of Political Economy at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on the economics and politics of international migration, with a particular interest in the links between migration and wider public policies. His books include The Price of Rights: Regulating International Labour Migration (Princeton University Press, 2013).
President, Migration Policy Institute
Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
Andrew Selee is President of the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a global nonpartisan institution focused on improving immigration and integration policies through research and policy development. His research focuses on migration globally, with emphasis on immigration policies in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He is author of Vanishing Frontiers: The Forces Driving Mexico and the United States Together (PublicAffairs, 2018). He holds a PhD in policy studies from the University of Maryland and was an Andrew Carnegie Fellow (2017–18).
Senior Advisor
UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research)
Colleen Thouez is Senior Advisor at UNITAR, focusing on migration governance, international cooperation on migration, and capacity building. She is Founder and Director of NASH's Training Individuals for Economic Readiness (TIER). Previously, she served as the first Director of the Welcoming and Inclusive Cities Division at the Open Society Foundations, where she created the Mayors Migration Council and the Africa-Europe Mayors Dialogue. She has held academic positions at Columbia University, American University, Sciences Po Paris, and The New School.
Independent Migration Policy Consultant; Senior Advisor, MPI Transatlantic Council on Migration
MPI Europe; Independent Consultant
Elizabeth Collett is Founding Director of Migration Policy Institute Europe and Senior Advisor to MPI's Transatlantic Council on Migration, based in Brussels. Her work focuses on European migration and immigrant integration policy, with particular attention to the Common European Asylum System. Prior to MPI, she was Senior Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre and worked at the International Organization for Migration in Geneva. She holds a master's degree in foreign service from Georgetown University and a bachelor's degree in law from Oxford University.
Senior Research Fellow; Director of Research and Practice; Director, IPM Secretariat
Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility, The New School
Achilles Kallergis is Senior Research Fellow and Director of Research and Practice at the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at The New School for Social Research. He also directs the secretariat of the International Panel on Migration. His research focuses on urbanization, migration, and mobility in rapidly growing cities, particularly environmental mobility and how locally-generated data can improve living conditions in low-income areas. Previously, he was a Research Scholar at NYU's Marron Institute of Urban Management, where he completed a global study on housing affordability and land use regulations that informed Habitat III and the United Nations New Urban Agenda.
Full Professor in the Governance of Migration and Diversity; Scientific Director, LDE-GMD Research Centre
Erasmus University Rotterdam; Leiden University
Peter Scholten is Full Professor in the Governance of Migration and Diversity at Erasmus University Rotterdam, with a Leiden-Delft-Erasmus double appointment at Leiden University. His main research interest is how societies respond to growing social complexity, with a specific focus on migration and migration-related diversity. His research examines the dynamics of migration and diversity policymaking from a comparative lens, and he has published extensively in international journals as well as a number of scientific and popular-scientific books on migration governance. Scholten connects his research to education, policy design, and media contributions, calling attention to the quality of policymaking on migration and migration-related diversities. He leads several research projects on this theme, including the Rotterdam Inclusivity Project. He serves as Scientific Director of the LDE-GMD Research Centre on the Governance of Migration and Diversity, is Editor in Chief of Comparative Migration Studies, and Associate Editor of the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis. At the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, he is Head of the Team Policy, Politics and Society.
President, IPM Bureau
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity
Steven Vertovec is an anthropologist and Director of the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity. He serves as President of the IPM Bureau. His research focuses on international migration, ethnic diversity, transnationalism, and the concept of super-diversity. He was Founding Director of the ESRC Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) and is co-Editor of Global Networks.
Vice-President, IPM Bureau
El Colegio de México (COLMEX)
Claudia Masferrer is an Associate Professor at El Colegio de México and serves as Vice-President of the IPM Bureau. Her research focuses on international migration, reintegration of returnees, immigrant integration, and demographic dynamics in North America. She is a member of the Mexican National Researchers System (SNI-Level 2) and Associate Editor of International Migration Review.
Vice-President, IPM Bureau
National University of Singapore
Brenda S.A. Yeoh FBA is Raffles Professor of Social Sciences at the National University of Singapore and serves as Vice-President of the IPM Bureau. She was awarded the Vautrin Lud Prize for outstanding achievements in Geography in 2021. Her research interests include the politics of space in colonial and postcolonial cities, highly skilled talent migration, gender and care migration, and family dynamics.
Vice-President, IPM Bureau
University of Ghana, Centre for Migration Studies
Prof. Leander Kandilige is an Associate Professor of Migration Studies at the Centre for Migration Studies, University of Ghana, and serves as Vice-President of the IPM Bureau. He holds a D.Phil. in Migration Studies from Oxford and his research interests include migration and development, labour migrations in Africa, diaspora and development, and return migration.
Executive Director of the Secretariat
Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility, The New School
Achilles Kallergis is Senior Research Fellow and Director of Research and Practice at the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at The New School for Social Research. As Executive Director of the IPM Secretariat, he oversees the operational and strategic development of the panel. His research focuses on urbanization, migration, and mobility in rapidly growing cities, particularly environmental mobility and how locally-generated data can improve living conditions in low-income areas. Previously, he was a Research Scholar at NYU's Marron Institute of Urban Management, where he completed a global study on housing affordability and land use regulations that informed Habitat III and the United Nations New Urban Agenda.
Strategy Officer
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
Dr. Jonas Bergmann specializes in the intersection of climate impacts and human mobility and immobility, including the complex relationships between environmental change and sustainable development, security, well-being, adaptation, and loss and damage. He has worked for the International Panel on Migration (IPM), the German Climate Foundation (DKS), the Climate Migration Council (CMC), and the Thematic Working Group on Environmental Change and Migration of KNOMAD at the World Bank. He is co-author of the World Bank flagship report on internal climate migration, "Groundswell." Dr. Bergmann conducted his doctoral research at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research on climate change and migration in Peru and holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.
Data Officer
The New School — Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment
Aratrika Debnath is a Ph.D. student specializing in Public and Urban Policy at The New School, New York. She holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, and a master's in Urban Ecological Planning from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim. Before joining The New School, she worked with UN-Habitat in New Delhi and New York and served as a Research Associate at the School of Planning and Architecture in Bhopal. Her current research lies at the intersection of climate migration and citizen science, crafting governance frameworks for climate migration and disaster mitigation that leverage citizen science to develop sustainable urban resettlement strategies.
Community Engagement and Design Officer
Parsons School of Design, The New School
Manavi Datta is a transdisciplinary researcher and practitioner with over seven years of experience across public and private sectors in the US and India. Most recently, they led equitable community engagement efforts for the City of Boston's Planning Department as part of Boston's Development Review process. They previously worked on policy and service transformation projects at Rivera Consulting Inc, a Boston-based management and strategy consulting firm. Manavi uses socially engaged design approaches to work with marginalized populations and facilitate improved user experiences. They have led projects in transportation, ed-tech, and healthcare sectors and delivered capacity-building programs in the social sector. Manavi holds an MFA in Transdisciplinary Design from Parsons School of Design (2023) and has been an Urban Fellow at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements.