I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science and a member of the European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations (ERCOMER: since 2021). My research broadly deals with the inclusion and exclusion of migrants and their children, with a strong focus on involuntary migrants, or refugees. On the exclusion side, I study anti-immigrant sentiments, discrimination, and return intentions. On the inclusion side, I examine early social and economic acculturation and how this process is influenced by policies and societal reception. 

I have a background in social psychology (Research Master, University of Groningen, cum laude) and completed a PhD (2012-2017) in the social sciences at the KU Leuven Centre for Political Research with the KU Leuven Center for Social and Cultural Psychology. My doctoral research focused on contextual and intergroup determinants of prejudice toward immigrants. Subsequently, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher and a research manager (2017-2021) for the EUR Bridge project within the Department of Public Administration and Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam. My postdoctoral research centered on the social and economic acculturation process of recently arrived refugees, and the effects of local integration policy. This project employed a quasi-experimental design, a three-wave panel survey, and a mixed methods approach to provide a comprehensive analysis. In addition to my academic work, I engaged in science outreach as a guest researcher at the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (in Dutch: Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau), I collaborated with societal partners, delivered public lectures, and co-authored publicly accessible reports to bridge research and practice effectively.