Research Chair
About the Research Chair on Forced Displacement
Canada’s International Development Research Center (IDRC) supports twelve Research Chairs on Forced Displacement in universities across the Global South. The Chairs are producing inter-disciplinary and multisectoral research on forced displacement, drawing on their profound knowledge of localized and local contexts in their regions, while adopting a gender transformative approach. They are developing the field of forced displacement research from a Global South perspective, committing to excellence in research, and to the teaching and mentoring of young scholars. The Chairs promote strong linkages between community-level research and global policy. They are supported and amplified by the IDRC Research Chairs Network, which provides a collaborative forum for co-creating interdisciplinary and cross-regional research, producing events, publications, workshops and serving as a platform for new ideas to influence global policy.
The Chairs network mission statement
The IDRC Research Chairs Network on Forced Displacement is a community of twelve scholars based at universities in countries experiencing mass displacement. Together, they are reframing the narrative of forced displacement and transforming the field of forced migration studies to mainstream Global South perspectives, using evidence-based research and analysis. By centering the needs, demands, voices and values of displaced persons and their communities in a climate of mutual cooperation and understanding between all stakeholders, they seek a paradigmatic shift in global policy discourse and practice.
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Research Projects
Understanding Sea Crossings and Migrants' Decision-Making
Sea crossings from the Mediterranean have led to thousands of deaths and over 1,000 deaths since 2024...
Read more...Adaptive Capabilities of Displaced Populations in Morocco
The research project investigates the integration and adaptive capabilities of different displaced populations...
Read more...People
Lead IDRC Research Chair on Forced Displacement at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P)
Interim chair at the Faculty of Governance, Economic and Social Sciences at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Morocco
Associate Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University
Short Biography
Lead IDRC Research Chair on Forced Displacement at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P)
Dr Myriam Cherti is the lead IDRC Research Chair on Forced Displacement at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) in Rabat. She is also a Senior Researcher at the Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford.
Previously, she held positions at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in the UK and in Morocco. In 2018, she was seconded by IOM to work with the Moroccan government, leading the organisation of the Global Forum for Migration and Development, as well as the preparations for the adoption of the Global Compact on Migration in Marrakech.
Myriam also led migration research at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in London. She has extensive experience and expertise in the fields of irregular migration, forced displacement, migrant integration and reintegration, diaspora policy and Moroccan migration. Myriam holds a PhD in Migration Studies from the University of Sussex and an MSc in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences.
Short Biography
Interim chair at the Faculty of Governance, Economic and Social Sciences at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Morocco
Dr Amal El Ouassif is the lead IDRC Research Chair on Forced Displacement at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) in Rabat. She is also a Senior Researcher at the Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford. Previously, she held positions at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in the UK and in Morocco.
In 2018, she was seconded by IOM to work with the Moroccan government, leading the organisation of the Global Forum for Migration and Development, as well as the preparations for the adoption of the Global Compact on Migration in Marrakech. Myriam also led migration research at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in London. She has extensive experience and expertise in the fields of irregular migration, forced displacement, migrant integration and reintegration, diaspora policy and Moroccan migration.
Amal holds a PhD in Migration Studies from the University of Sussex and an MSc in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences.
Short Biography
Associate Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University
Norman Sempijja is an Associate Professor at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. He holds a PhD in international politics (2013) from Kingston University UK. He also has an MA in Diplomatic Studies from Keele University UK and BA Social Sciences from Makerere University Uganda. He has taught a number of courses in international relations and political science in France, United Kingdom, South Africa and Spain. His research focuses on international security especially the security-development and governance nexus. He also has research interests in inter-organisational cooperation in peacekeeping and peacebuilding with specific focus on European Union, United Nations and African Union. His current work delves in to state fragmentation in Africa.
