Sonja Fransen

Climares Academy coordinator, WP 8 co-lead

Dr. Sonja Fransen is the coordinator of the Climares Academy and co-leads WP 8: Displaced Populations' Weather- and Climate-related Knowledge ∞ Action Networks.

Sonja is Assistant Professor in Displacement and Disaster Studies at the Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre (HSC), International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus University (EUR). She is a social scientist with an interdisciplinary academic background (development studies, psychology and migration) working in the area of forced migration, climate change and sustainable development. Her main areas of research include forced migration dynamics and trends, effective management of refugee camps, the impacts of climatic events on displaced populations, migration decision-making, migration drivers, and the intricate relationship between migration and sustainable development. She has extensive experience conducting research and managing research projects in developing country settings, particularly in African countries, and is skilled in collecting and analysing both quantitative and qualitative data. Due to the policy relevance of her work, she fosters collaborative relationships with non-governmental organizations, governments, and international institutions including UNHCR, WFP, IOM, and the World Bank, to further advance knowledge and enhance the well-being of vulnerable populations through evidence-based policy.

Expertise: Forced migration, climate change, sustainable development