The UBC Centre for Migration Studies is thrilled to announce the appointment of Dr. Irene Bloemraad as its new Co-Director, effective July 1, 2024.
Dr. Bloemraad will join the University of British Columbia as the President’s Excellence Chair in Global Migration and as a Professor in the Departments of Political Science and Sociology. While at UBC, she will continue to co-direct the Boundaries, Membership and Belonging program of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, a Canada-based global research organization.
In her role as CMS Co-Director, Dr. Bloemraad will be working alongside Dr. Antje Ellermann to guide and oversee the Centre’s strategic direction, research initiatives, and collaborations. We are excited about the future of CMS under their co-direction and look forward to this new chapter in our pursuit of impactful research excellence in migration and mobilities.
About Dr. Irene Bloemraad
Dr. Bloemraad comes to the Centre as an internationally recognized expert on migration and citizenship. Her research as a political sociologist focuses on how immigrants become incorporated into the political communities where they live, and the consequences of migration for politics and understandings of membership. She has investigated why immigrants become citizens and how citizenship helps immigrants’ political, civic, social and economic incorporation, comparing dynamics in Canada, the United States and various European countries. In other work, she examines the opportunities and barriers that shape immigrants’ engagement with community-based organizations, as well as the effects of non-profit organizations on immigrants’ integration and political voice. She has also explored the extent to which public attitudes about noncitizens, including those in irregular legal status, shift based on whether an issue is framed as being about human rights, family, economic impact, or a nation’s values.
Dr. Bloemraad’s research publications span the fields of sociology, political science, history, and ethnic/ migration studies. She has authored or co-edited five books including The Oxford Handbook of Citizenship (2017), Rallying for Immigrant Rights (2011), and Becoming a Citizen (2006). In 2014-15, she served as a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences panel, reporting on the integration of immigrants into U.S. society. In 2020-21, she served as the elected chair of the International Migration section of the American Sociological Association. Her research has garnered multiple awards, including in 2018, when the leading North American migration journal, International Migration Review, named her its “Featured Scholar” of the year.
Prior to joining UBC, Dr. Bloemraad was the Class of 1951 Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the founding Director of the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative. She is also the past Chair and Director of the Canadian Studies program.
A proud product of the Saskatoon public school system, Dr. Bloemraad received her B.A. (Honours, Political Science) and M.A. (Sociology) from McGill University and her PhD (Sociology) from Harvard University. She believes passionately in the importance of the world-class public university, combining excellence in research, teaching, and public engagement. While at UC-Berkeley, Dr. Bloemraad was honoured with the university’s American Cultures Innovation in Teaching Prize (2013), the Division of Social Sciences’ Distinguished Teaching Award (2012), and the Sarlo Distinguished Mentoring Award (2008). Beyond the academy, Dr. Bloemraad also regularly shares her work with the general public, immigration stakeholders, and policymakers, from the municipal to international level. She enjoys speaking with journalists from radio, TV, online and print media and has published op-ed in places such as the Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen and the L.A. Times.
We are excited to see how CMS will continue to thrive and our impact expand with Dr. Bloemraad joining us as Co-Director.
For more information or media inquiries, please contact Marie Frileux at comms.migration@ubc.ca.
