GRADUATION TALK ▼

A CAREER LINKING METHODS AND GUIDANCE

AN INTERVIEW WITH JASPER DAG TJADEN

▐  Somestimes you have to go back to move forward. Jasper explains why he went back into academia and talks about the complexity of migration issues.

   What drew you to your current field and what interests you most about it?

   J.T. After finishing my masters, I was working for an EU Think Tank in Brussels on migrant integration in European societies. I had to review very technical papers and provide policy recommendations. It became clear to me that I need to go back to get my PhD to acquire more quantitative methods skills if I wanted to make a substantial contribution to the field. Migration and migrant integration are one of the key questions for Western societies in our increasingly globalized world. These issues never get boring because they are complex, important and of main concern to the broader public.

   How important is the interchange between academia and 'the real world', especially as regards your topic?

   J.T. Very important. Immigration and migrant integration are highly political, sensitive and emotional issues. It is important for experts to share their insights with policy makers to allow for balanced and evidence-based approaches. This is very important especially when large shares of society follow their emotions over facts.

   What is the next step in your career?

   J.T. I am currently working for the UN Migration Agency's Global Migration Data Centre. We conduct empirical research to provide guidance for policy makers and help evaluate migration programmes in the field. ◼

Image Credits: © Bamberg Graduate School of Social Sciences