Gregor Noll, Professor of International Law, Torsten Söderberg Research Chair at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg
In his research, Gregor Noll has followed the formation of EU migration and asylum law and policy since the mid-1990s and published widely on topics as the shifting of protective burdens under the Dublin system, the externalisation of protection to third states and the conflict between powerful and less resourceful Member States. He is currently pursuing a project on democracy and demographics in migration lawmaking.
Martin Leopardi, Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Law, Stockholm University
In his doctoral thesis ’International Law and the Rescue of Refugees at Sea’ (Stockholm University, 2019) Martin Leopardi (previously Ratcovich) examines the international legal framework for maritime search and rescue against the background that many of those rescued are refugees and migrants. Drawing on an explorative survey of the law of the sea, international refugee law, international human rights law and international law against transnational organized crime, the thesis argues that the meaning of the rules for disembarkation of persons rescued at sea is broader than it first may seem involving not only the maritime safety but also the basic security of survivors. Martin has a professional background as an international lawyer within the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden (Department for International Law and Human Rights), the Ministry of Defense of Sweden (Department for Crisis Preparedness and Response) and the Swedish Coast Guard (Headquarters, Legal Section).
Alexandra Bousiou, doctoral candidate, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg and Centre for European Research
In her current PhD project, Alexandra Bousiou is providing an analysis of the governance of asylum at the southeastern EU border islands which host the "hotspot approach" in Greece. In particular, multilevel governance theory is used to untangle the different actors, their interactions, their rationales and responses on the ground. Methodologically the project is based on qualitative study based on interviews and observations on all 5 hotspot islands, Athens and Brussels. The EU level both in terms of EU agencies (FRONTEX, EASO) and in terms of EU law is of high importance in understanding the persistent emergency at the islands. The conclusion involves criticism of policies which prioritise border controls in a disproportionate manner and on the expense to the individuals' right to seek asylum.
Karin Åberg, doctoral candidate, Department of Law, School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg
Karin Åberg’s PhD topic, ‘Care and Control: Humanitarianism, Security and EU Asylum Law’, concerns the contemporary development of asylum law as expressed in EU law and under the European Convention on Human Rights. She examines how law and legal expectations interact with securitization and humanitarian values and how this affects legal assessments of asylum claims. This particularly includes models for allocating responsibility and transferring asylum seekers within and outside of the EU. Karin has previously been employed as a legal advisor in asylum law in Greece and has also worked with legal and policy-related advocacy of migrant rights in Brussels.
