Anna Triandafyllidou
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 the 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 recently was named Scientific Director of Bridging Divides, a new $98.6 million project funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).
Prior to joining TMU, Anna held a Robert Schuman Chair at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy and directed the Cultural Pluralism Research Area as part of the EUI’s Global Governance Programme. Since receiving her PhD from EUI in 1995, she has held teaching and research positions around the world, including the London School of Economics, the College of Europe in Bruges, and the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche in Rome, and was a Fulbright Scholar at New York University in 2001.
Anna has published widely, authoring as many as 200 publications of books, refereed journals and chapters, and has edited numerous books and special issues. She is known globally for opening new research pathways in migration scholarship, and her books have become the standard texts for the next generation of scholars and vital references for policy makers. In particular, her books on European multiculturalism have stimulated important theoretical and policy debate and, in recognition for her work linking migration and nationalism, she was invited to deliver the prestigious 25th-anniversary keynote lecture for the Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism. Her critical analysis of the governance of irregular and circular migration, and the decision drivers of high-skilled migrants, have established her as a leading authority on global migration patterns. In 2021, the University of Liège awarded Anna an honorary doctorate in recognition of her significant contributions.
Governments around the world seek out Anna’s advice on migration. She served as a member of the Network of International Migration Experts of the OECD (2010-2018), and has provided expert policy advice to the Government of Canada (Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and the Canadian Senate), the European Parliament, and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs. She has also advised intergovernmental organizations such as the International Organisation of Migration (she co-edited the World Migration Report, 2022) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Since 2013, Anna has been the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies (external link) , and chairs the IMISCOE (International Migration Research Network) Editorial Committee (external link) , overseeing a peer-reviewed book series (external link) . She also provides strategic research leadership as a member of the IMISCOE Board of Directors. With an extraordinary grant record, she has successfully launched and led numerous transnational and multi-institutional research projects. In addition to Bridging Divides (noted above), she was awarded a highly competitive Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Partnership Grant, which brings together 38 academics and 32 partner organizations to investigate refugee and migrant journeys in three migration systems across three continents, with Canada as a destination of migrants and refugees from all three systems.
In addition to her academic scholarship and policy engagement, Anna is committed to developing novel ways to engage new audiences in research. She has worked extensively with creative media professionals to use documentary films and online digital storytelling platforms, educational videos and toolkits, online courses, and an award-winning migration podcast to ensure her research achieves the broadest impact possible.