Projects

I am leading and participating in various collaborative projects in the UK, France, Germany and Switzerland.

Spatial mobility skills, conjugal networks and conjugal quality (Principal Investigator, 2019-22)

This transdisciplinary project involving sociologists and human geographers from the University of Lausanne and the Laboratory of Urban Sociology-EPFL examines how individuals’ spatial mobility skills and the degree of overlap between partners’ networks moderate the influence of residential mobility on conjugal life. Following a successful tender, a tailored module of questions developed by the research team was added to the Swiss ISSP-MOSAiCH 2019 survey (n=2,043). While research on the effect of family migration on conjugal life has often focused on the role of employment and relative earnings (e.g. trailing wife hypothesis), this project addresses a clear knowledge gap by analysing the role of personal networks and spousal network overlap.

Personal networks of young adults in Switzerland: Social capital, educational and work aspirations (Co-Investigator, 2017-24)

Led by Professor Eric Widmer (University of Geneva), this large project surveys a full national cohort of young men, mostly aged 18-20, in 2020-23. An additional sample of young women living in Switzerland will be interviewed. In total, N = 40,000 participants will be surveyed. The overall aim of the project is to better understand the role of young people’s personal relationships and personal networks on social support, their work and educational aspirations and trajectories. I am working on the role of personal networks and geographical contexts on young people’s social inclusion.

Teaching that Matters for Migrant Student: Understanding Levers of Integration in Scotland, Finland and Sweden (TEAMS) (Co-Investigator, 2020-23)

Led by Dr Natasa Pantic (Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh), this project examines how teachers can best help migrant students to avoid underachieving at school or being excluded. It employs social network analysis and ethnographic research in seven schools in the three countries. I am leading the social network data collection. The mixed method design aims to identify educational practices and structural conditions that facilitate opportunities for migrants’ academic success, cross-cultural socialization, and developing a sense of belonging in their school communities.

Since 2017, I am involved in a research collaboration with Dr Andreas Herz (Deutsches Jugendinstitut, Munich, Germany) using multilevel modelling with personal network data. We are working on a project studying the role of network spatiality on reciprocity within family networks using the Swiss ISSP-MOSAiCH 2013 survey data.

Since 2019, I am involved in an interdisciplinary research collaboration with Professor Claire Bidart (CNRS University Aix Marseille) and Dr Marion Maisonobe (human geographer, CNRS Paris) on advanced methods for analysing and mapping the geography of personal networks, using GIS (Geographic Information System) and longitudinal network data.