About

I am Peter Scholten and I’m a full professor in the Governance of Migration and Diversity at Erasmus University Rotterdam, with an LDE double appointment at Leiden University. My main research interest is how societies respond to growing social complexity, with a specific interest for migration and migration-related diversity. In my research I try to understand the dynamics of migration and diversity policymaking from a comparative lens. I have published extensively in international journals as well as published a number of scientific books on migration governance and more popular-scientific books. Also, I like to connect my research to education, to policy design and to media contributions, amongst others to call attention to the quality of policymaking on migration and (migration-related) diversities. I also lead several research projects on this thematic, including the Rotterdam Inclusivity Project that aims to support the science-based development of anti-discrimination policies in Rotterdam. In the context of the collaboration between the universities of Leiden, Delft and Erasmus, I’m academic director of the research centre on the Governance of Migration and Diversity. Also, I’m alliance coordinator of the European University of Post-Industrial Cities, and editor in chief of the journal Comparative Migration Studies. At the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, I’m Head of the Team Policy, Politics and Society.

My current roles and positions include:

Full professor in the Governance of Migration and Diversity, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Team-Lead of the team Policy, Politics and Society

Scientific Director of the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre on the Governance of Migration and Diversity

Alliance Coordinator of the European University of Post-Industrial Cities (www.unic.eu)

Editor-in-Chief of the journal Comparative Migration Studies

Associate Editor of the Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis

Professor in the Governance of Migration and Diversity, LDE Double Appointment at Leiden University, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs

After studying Public Policy and Public Administration at the University of Twente (2003) I obtained my PhD at this university in 2008, with a study on research-policy dialogues on migration and integration. Since then I have continued to connect the fields of policy sciences and migration studies in various ways. This includes leading various research projects funded by Horizon Europe, JPI and AMIF, as well as a Veni grant from NWO. After moving to Erasmus University Rotterdam in 2009 as associate professor public policy and politics, I received a chair in the Governance of Migration and Diversity in 2018. In 2016 I received the ‘Best PhD supervisor award’ of The Netherlands Institute of Government (NIG). From 2014 to 2020 I was coordinator of the IMISCOE International Research Network of Migration Studies. In 2020 I was one of the founders of the European University of Post Industrial Cities, UNIC.

Previously held positions and roles:

Member of the Independent Evaluation Committee of the Dutch Advisory Council on Migration (2022-2023)

Coordinator of the IMISCOE Research Network on International Migration (2014-2020)

Research Fellow at the Migration Policy Centre, European University Florence (2018-2020)

Member of the ‘Independent Advisory Committee on Long Term Resident Migrants Without Legal Status’ (Children Pardon committee) (2018-2019)

Research fellow at the Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy (2016-2017)

Member of the integration Policy Evaluation Committee (Department of Social Affairs, NL).

Research Fellow at COMPAS, Oxford University (2012-2015)

Editor of Perspectives on Europe, the journal of the Council for European Studies (2012-2013)

Journal manager of the Dutch journal Migrantenstudies (2010-2012)

Assistant professor Public Policy and Politics, University of Twente (2008-2009)

PhD Student, University of Twente (2003-2008)