Dr Catrin Wyn Edwards BA, MScEcon, PhD, PGCTHE

I'm interested in migration, sanctuary, carcerality and nationalism. I have two main research areas:

1. Notions of migrant carcerality in Europe, specifically in search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean. I've conducted fieldwork on migration, sanctuary and carcerality in Wales and across multiple sites across Europe and North America.
2. Sanctuary beyond the state: I've focussed on national sanctuary practices to encourage new thinking about alternative sites of sanctuary beyond the state to provide a new focus to scholarship on practices of rescaling migration, hospitality and sanctuary, notably in multinational and plurilingual states. 

I've spent time as a visiting scholar at EURAC (Bolzano), UQAM (Montréal), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona) and Université de Moncton (Moncton).

I co-established and co-convene the Migration Research Wales Network (WISERD), which has the aim of developing research capacity, and encouraging dialogue between academics at Welsh institutions and between academics and practitioners.

I'm a member of the Welsh Government’s ‘Migrant Integration Steering Group’ and on the editorial board of the Canadian journal, Minorités linguistiques et société / Linguistic Minorities and Society. 

I joined the department in 2015 as a Lecturer in International Politics, having previously worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa. I was awarded my PhD in International Politics from the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University in 2014 for a thesis on language politics, immigration and educational policy in Catalonia, Wales and Quebec. 

Engaging with research and policy partners beyond my immediate academic network is a key priority. This has already led to collaboration with non-academic communities both to ensure that my research has societal impact and more generally in order to bridge the gap between policy and academic communities. 

I've contributed to numerous policy debates and discussions on migrant linguistic integration, resettlement, sanctuary and second homes. In 2018, I was awarded Aberystwyth University’s ‘Exceptional Impact in Social Science, Arts and Humanities Research’ (with Dr Elin Royles and Dr Huw Lewis).