Within the framework of the EUPeace Doctoral Mobility Grant, I have been granted a two-month research stay at Çukurova University between November and December 2025 as part of the Migration and Human Rights Research Hub. The primary purpose of the mobility was to deepen my doctoral research on migration governance while translating research insights into teaching activities and long-term academic cooperation within the EUPeace Alliance.
During the mobility, I actively contributed to both research and teaching.
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A closer look at her two months at Çukurova University:
Teaching & Academic Advising:
I co-taught the course Politics of Migration in the Department of Political Science and International Relations together with Prof. Dr. Aslı Ilgıt, and participated in guest lectures in the EUPeace joint course EU Migration Policy, offered by Çukurova University and the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Harun Arıkan. In addition, I provided individual academic consultations to undergraduate and graduate students on migration research and academic mobility opportunities.
Institutional Engagement & Event Organization:
Beyond teaching, the mobility enabled strong institutional engagement. I was elected as the speaker of the doctoral network group of the Migration and Human Rights Research Hub, strengthening doctoral representation and cross-border cooperation within EUPeace. I also co-organized and contributed to several academic events at Çukurova University, including an EUPeace seminar on cross-border cooperation in doctoral education and a panel titled From Volunteering to Social Development, both organized in collaboration with the EUPeace Office and the Social Sciences Institute.
Academic Cooperation & Curriculum Development:
A key outcome of the mobility was the development of sustainable academic cooperation. Together with colleagues from Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen and Çukurova University, we initiated a cotutelle PhD agreement, which is currently in the submission process. Furthermore, teaching initiatives within the scope of EUPeace Alliance were strengthened: a course titled Democratic Development of Migration and Mobility has already been accepted and listed in the EUPeace Virtual Course Catalogue, and an additional joint course proposal is currently in preparation.
The mobility has had a lasting impact on my research, teaching, and academic network, demonstrating how doctoral mobility within EUPeace can foster integrated research, innovative teaching formats, and long-term institutional collaboration.
© Zekiye Gürün-Ücem