prof.dr. AS (Arjen) Leerkes

Biography

Arjen Leerkes is Full Professor of Sociology of Migration, Security and Social Cohesion at Erasmus University Rotterdam and a senior research fellow at the Research and Data Centre of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security. Previously, he was also Full Professor of Migration, Securitization and Social Cohesion at Maastricht University (2018–2023).

His research focuses on three interconnected themes: migration policies and their effectiveness and legitimacy; migration, social cohesion and inequalities in policing and criminal justice; and transnationalism, return migration and societal reconstruction in post-conflict settings. He is particularly interested in how migration and refugee policies shape migration patterns, citizenship, social inequalities and relationships between citizens and the state, both within and across national borders.

He has led major international research projects, including the European Union-funded Finding Agreement in Return project, and currently leads the Dutch Research Council-funded In Search of Trust project. He teaches in Master's programmes on migration and humanitarian crises and regularly collaborates with government agencies, international organisations and civil society. His research also informs public debates through media contributions and policy advice.