Migration and its consequences has always been at the centre of my research interests; when I studied cultural anthropology (MA in 1986), did a PhD in human geography (1986-1991), was a post-doc (funded by the Dutch Research Council, NWO) at the Free University in Berlin (1992-1995), worked as senior policy advisor at the Dutch Ministry of the Interior (2000), was a fellow at the Transatlantic Academy in Washington D.C. (2008/2009), and presently as senior researcher with the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies(IMES)(1995 - present) and associate professor at the Department of Political Science.
For a great number of years I have been teaching on the policy implications of global migration - migrants looking for better opportunities or in need of international protection. One course - a research and master thesis writing project - caters for (predominantly) IR graduate students; another is a working group suitable for all social science students. For undergraduate students I teach another thesis writing project, focusing on European integration and immigration policy making. Students who like to remain in touch congregate around the Global Migration Facebook site.