Elisa Ertl

Elisa Ertl is the coordinator of the Re:Match project and is passionate about supporting vulnerable refugees through innovative and empathetic approaches, paving the way for the safe and humane reception of people seeking protection. 

Before joining the Berlin Governance Platform, Elisa worked for years in asylum social services at Diakonie München & Oberbayern, where she counselled refugees and asylum seekers in various types of accommodation and facilities. Most recently, she was in charge of social services in a shared accommodation centre during the COVID-19 pandemic. She therefore brings valuable practical insights from her voluntary work at the EU's external borders. Previously, Elisa supported the UNHCR Protection Unit for Western Europe in legal and policy analysis at the Representation for EU Affairs in Brussels, Belgium. She has extensive experience in supporting multi-stakeholder processes, coordinating several complex project processes simultaneously and building trusting relationships.   

Elisa holds an LL.M. degree in International Security from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands, and a B.A. in Cultural and Social Anthropology from the University of Vienna, Austria. 

Wael Qarssifi

Wael Qarssifi is a journalist from Syria residing in Malaysia. His project aims to produce original reporting about the issues of migration and refugees in Asia through diverse journalism mediums. It also seeks to create a factual representation of migrants and refugees in the media and combat disinformation used to spread hate speech towards vulnerable communities.

Younes Ahouga

Research fellow, CERC in Migration and Integration, Toronto Metropolitan University

Younes Ahouga’s research and publications focus on migration governance policies at the global, regional and local levels. Younes holds a PhD from the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Geneva. His doctoral dissertation analyzes the evolution of the migration management discourses and practices of the International Organization for Migration between 2000 and 2018. From 2014 to 2019, he was a teaching assistant at the Global Studies Institute of the University of Geneva and, from 2014 to 2017, Younes was a research assistant for a project on the discourse of resilience to environmental change in international organizations.

As co-head of the Swiss Forum on Foreign Policy’s Migration Program through 2019 and 2020, Younes has also organized policy events and engaged with a variety of civil society organizations. Working with policy practitioners to assess the Global Compact for Migration’s implementation, follow-up and review phases, Younes is examining the discourses and practices of the United Nations Network on Migration. This research will advance knowledge on the challenges faced by international organizations in addressing complex migration governance processes.

Nick Dreher

Nick Dreher is a PhD candidate in policy studies and migration at Toronto Metropolitan University. He is also a researcher with Bridging Divides, CERC Migration and Integration, and the Soli*City partnership. His dissertation research focuses on how international and local actors collaborate to support the needs of precarious migrants and refugees. Other research interests include transnational migration governance, the use of digital technologies in migration management, and decolonial approaches to migration studies. Prior to his PhD, Nick spent close to a decade working in non-profit and higher education settings in a variety of roles including program coordination, teaching, and research. He holds a master's degree from University of Oregon and a bachelor's degree from American University in Washington, DC.

Simon Droti

Simon Droti live sin Bidibidi Refugee Settlement, Yumbe District, West Nile, Uganda. He was one of the 2023 MTM fellows from Uganda, working on a project called Memoryscroll, a digital archive for Refugees and people in challenging situations to store their stories of resistance. They can also connect with their friends through the app. He did data analytics and graphics design and was formally an ICT tutor for Mercy Corps. He is also a Co-Founder of Youth Focus on Transforming Communities, a local refugee led, ICT centered CBO in Bidibidi Settlement (www.yftcuganda.org). Simon also works as IT officer for a CBO in Yumbe (Here is Life [www.hereislifeug.org]).

Hovig Etyemezian

Hovig Etyemezian heads the Innovation Service of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, having previously served in humanitarian response settings across Lebanon, DRC, Algeria, Mauritania, Iraq, Jordan, and Tunisia. Prior to his humanitarian career, Hovig worked in human rights, peace building, and journalism. He is a visiting professor at the UN University for Peace in Costa Rica, where he completed a Master’s in Gender and Peacebuilding.

Mariam Jamal

Mariam Jamal is a lawyer, specialized in the intersection of technology and rule of law, with a focus on human rights- centered digitalisation. She has contributed to furthering conversations on digital rights and inclusion at both local(Kenya) and international levels through speaking engagements, involvement in research and grassroots mobilization. Mariam's  areas of expertise within digital rights include; Data governance, migration and tech, inclusive digital public infrastructure, nd Artificial Intelligence policy and ethics.

Mariam currently works with Haki na Sheria Initiative as a digital rights programs officer. Mariam is also a Kenya Community Advisory Team Member for a Digital Health Rights Project hosted by the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies (University of Warwick). 

Asta Sofie Stage Jarlner

PhD Fellow, Center of Excellence for Global Mobility Law, University of Copenhagen

Verónica Martinez

Verónica Martinez iis a bilingual multimedia reporter from the US/Mexico border. She covers immigration, border and women’s issues for La Verdad de Juárez, exploring the intersection of human mobility and gender on topics like access to abortion at the border and reproductive justice. Her reporting on immigration focuses on the consequences and implications that U.S. and Mexico policies have on people on the move and border communities. Veronica has done journalism on both sides of the border reporting for El Paso Times and Las Cruces Sun News back in 2020 and collaborated with El Paso Matters.

Jenn McIntyre

Jenn McIntyre is the Clinic Coordinator at the Canada-US Border Rights Clinic. She is a community practitioner, leader and activist who has been living and working alongside refugee claimants in Canada for almost a decade and a passionate collaborator who believes in the power of community to push forward real change. Jenn is part of several networks of people working to advance refugee rights, border issues, support for newcomer youth and the treatment of detained migrants.

Zeynab Ziaie Moayyed

Zeynab is a Canadian immigration lawyer, assisting clients on all immigration and citizenship matters. With a practice that merges business and immigration law, she advises clients in a wide range of immigration issues and provides strategic advice for short-term visa planning and long-term immigration purposes.

Zeynab regularly represents clients before the Federal Court of Canada, tackling complex issues including those related to use of technology and AI in administrative decision making. She is a frequent writer and speaker speaks on issues related to use of AI in administrative decision making, particularly in the immigration space, and is involved in the legal tech community and is developing tools to assist those interacting with Canada’s immigration system.

Petra Molnar

Petra Molnar is a lawyer and anthropologist specializing on the impacts of migration technologies on people crossing borders. She co-runs the Refugee Law Lab at York University and the Migration and Technology Monitor, which funds community grounded projects on border tech. Petra's first book, The Walls Have Eyes: Surviving Migration in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (The New Press), is coming out in 2024.

Rebeca Moreno Jiminez

Innovation Officer and Lead Data Scientist, UNHCR

Lucia Nalbandian

Lucia is a PhD student and an R.F. Harney Graduate Research Fellow in Ethnic, Immigration, and Pluralism Studies at the University of Toronto, where her research explores the use of emerging technologies in migration management. Lucia holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Law from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration from Toronto Metropolitan University. By day, Lucia spends her time with the brilliant minds at Deloitte Canada and working as a Research Affiliate with the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration Program at Toronto Metropolitan University. Lucia’s research centres around questions at the intersection of migration, emerging technologies and human rights governance.

Nana Mgbechikwere Nwachukwu

Nana Nwachukwu is a technology and IP lawyer with more than 14 years of expertise. 

She has worked with various global civil society stakeholders, academics, private sector organisations, and governments. 

Nana is affiliated with the Berkman Klein Centre for Internet and Society where she co-leads a Working Group on AI and Agency in the Global South. 

She's the AI Ethics & Governance Consultant at Saidot AI.

Derya Ozkul

Derya Ozkul is an Assistant Professor in Sociology at the University of Warwick. Her work examines the politics of migration and displacement. Her current work focuses on the use of new technologies for managing, controlling, and processing mobility and asylum in Europe. Previously, she conducted research on migration policies in the Middle East, specifically in Turkey and Lebanon, as well as in Europe, primarily Germany, and Australia. migration system

Rajendra Paudel

Rajendra Paudel is a passionate advocate for migrant workers' rights and empowerment. Hailing from Nepal, Rajendra embarked on his own migrant worker journey, laboring in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It was during his time in the UAE that Rajendra initiated a groundbreaking endeavor in 2017: Facebook Live sessions conducted in Nepali. These sessions were dedicated to providing migrant workers with essential information and genuine insights into their rights and obligations.

Driven by his firsthand experiences and a deep commitment to his fellow workers, Rajendra's Facebook Live sessions quickly gained traction, becoming a vital resource for Nepali-speaking migrant communities. His dedication to empowering others led him to expand his reach, leveraging platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok to disseminate crucial knowledge on financial literacy, digital proficiency, and fraud awareness.

Rajendra's tireless efforts have earned him widespread recognition and respect within the migrant worker community. As the founder of Bidesh, a project born out of his passion and dedication, Rajendra continues to champion the rights and well-being of migrant workers, ensuring that they have the tools and information they need to thrive in their chosen destinations. Bidesh was started as a project in support of the Migration Technology Monitor Fellowship, with Rajendra being recognized as a Migration Technology Fellow for the term 2023-24.

With a significant presence across social media, Rajendra's impact continues to grow. His YouTube channel boasts an impressive 416K subscribers, while his Facebook page has garnered 240K followers. Additionally, Rajendra reaches over 103K followers on TikTok, solidifying his position as a leading voice in migrant worker advocacy and empowerment

Sean Rehaag

Sean Rehaag is the Director of the Centre for Refugee Studies and the Director of the Refugee Law Laboratory. He specializes in immigration and refugee law, administrative law, legal process, access to justice, and new legal technologies. He frequently contributes to public debates about immigration and refugee law, and he engages in law reform efforts in these areas. He is also committed to exploring innovative teaching methodologies, with a particular interest in clinical and experiential education. From 2015 to 2018, he served as the Academic Director at Parkdale Community Legal Services.

Professor Rehaag’s interdisciplinary academic research focuses on empirical studies of immigration and refugee law decision-making processes. He currently holds an SSHRC grant involving new legal technologies, artificial intelligence and quantitative research on Canadian refugee adjudication. He is also pursuing research using experiments to better understand how refugee adjudicators make credibility assessments. In 2013, he received the Canadian Association of Law Teachers Scholarly Paper Award for an article entitled “Judicial Review of Refugee Determinations: The Luck of the Draw?”. He publishes yearly statistics on Canada’s refugee determination system. Many of his publications are available open-access on SSRN.

Nery Santaella

Nery Santaella (Nani) is a Venezuelan refugee and the Director of Voices Of Venezuela. Her initiative has allowed Venezuelan refugees to access services, programs, and protection mechanisms in their host communities through innovative uses of communication technologies such as a ChatBot at the local level. Her project will expand the possibilities of natural language processing and develop safety protocols for people under surveillance, developing her work from a holistic vision that educates with empathy on sensitive issues such as human trafficking, gender violence, xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination.

Florian Schmitz

Florian Schmitz is a German multimedia journalist based in Thessaloniki, Greece. Schmitz works as a political correspondent for various media, mainly for Deutsche Welle, the international broadcaster of Germany. He focuses on migration, Greece and the Balkans, minorities, and human rights.

Mona Shtaya

Mona Shtaya is the Campaigns and Partnerships Manager (MENA) and Corporate Engagement Lead at Digital Actions. She is also a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) focusing on surveillance and digital rights in the MENA region. Additionally, she’s a Non-Resident Scholar in the Middle East Institute’s Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs Program. She previously worked as the Advocacy and Communications Manager at 7amleh-The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, and as the community outreach specialist and Social Media Specialist at Transparency Palestine, the national chapter of Transparency International. She holds an MA in Social Media and Digital Communication from the University of Westminster.

Craig Damian Smith

Craig Damian Smith (he/him) is the Executive Director and Principal Investigator at Pairity (www.pairity.ca), which combines social and data science to scale and improve refugee resettlement and community sponsorship, and measure outcomes around refugee newcomer integration and social cohesion with receiving communities. He is also a Research Affiliate at the Centre for Refugee Studies, where his current SSHRC-funded project with partners in Tijuana, Mexico explores relationships between global visa and asylum policies and intercontinental mixed migration through Latin America. His past SSHRC-funded projects at CRS include work on the drivers of irregular migration to Canada, and how legal aid affects access to justice for refugee claimants. He was previously a Senior Research Associate at the CERC in Migration & Integration at TMU and Associate Director of the Global Migration Lab at the Munk School at UofT.

Will Tao

Will Tao is a lawyer specializing in algorithmic decision-making in Canada’s immigration systemanada’s immigration system

Ethel Tungohan

Ethel Tungohan is the Canada Research Chair in Canadian Migration Policy, Impacts and Activism, and Assistant Professor of Politics and Social Science at York University. She has also been appointed as a Broadbent Institute Fellow. Previously, she was the Grant Notley Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alberta’s Department of Political Science. She received her doctoral degree in Political Science and Women and Gender Studies from the University of Toronto.

Her research looks at migrant labor, specifically assessing migrant activism. Her forthcoming book, “From the Politics of Everyday Resistance to the Politics from Below,” which will be published by the University of Illinois Press, won the 2014 National Women’s Studies Association First Book Prize. Her work has been published in academic journals such as the International Feminist Journal of Politics, Politics, Groups, and Identities, and Canadian Ethnic Studies. She is also one of the editors of “Filipinos in Canada: Disturbing Invisibility,” which was published by the University of Toronto Press in 2012.

Dr. Tungohan specializes in socially engaged research and is actively involved in grassroots migrant organizations such as Gabriela-Ontario and Migrante-Canada

Simon Wallace

Simon Wallace is a PhD student at Osgoode Hall Law School and refugee lawyer.

Simon has two broad research agendas. First, how can legal research be enriched with computational methodologies? Inspired by the computational study of literature, he aims to develop methods to read a jurisprudence at scale. For example, if a tribunal issues 20,000 decisions a year, he aims to find a way to read and render conclusions about the tribunal’s total jurisprudence.

Second, as a “crimmigration” lawyer, Simon is interested in the function and use of Canadian deportation law. He researches Canadian inadmissibility law, administrative law, and the history of Canadian immigration law (1893 to 1914).