I am an Archimedes Postdoctoral fellow at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria. I work in the Migration and Sustainable Development Group, led by Dr. Roman Hoffmann. Before joining IIASA, I was a postdoctoral research fellow in the “Global Shifts: Urbanization, Migration and Climate Change” program at Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania. I received my Ph.D. in Sociology of Education from Ben Gurion University in the Negev in 2023. My dissertation project focused on the integration of refugee children in primary schools in Kampala, Uganda.

I am a sociologist of education and migration, focusing on how education and forced migration (conflict and climate) affect the lives of displaced children and families. My work looks at migration as adaptation and (im)mobility in contexts of climate and conflict. My research examines  the impacts of discourses, categories and policies on those moving across international borders and those staying within them in urban displacement contexts. My work combines ethnography, policy analysis and collaborative mixed methods to explore how integration policies, school practices, and social norms shape children’s safety, rights and agency in projects spanning East Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Asia.

In addition to my research, I have taught courses on research methods, childhood and youth, development and forced migration. You can find more information about my research, teaching, and public engagement on this website.

To get in touch, please navigate to the contact page or email me at manyakagan [at] gmail [dot] com.