On 28 January 2025, the CBRL Amman Institute hosted a workshop for the Refugee-Led Research Hub (RLRH) from the University of Oxford which brought together participants who identify as current or former refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons (IDPs). The event was moderated by RLRH Executive Director Andonis Marden and Director of Partnerships Ghazal Sarah Salehi.
Marden and Salehi talked about the Oxford University RLRH initiative, highlighting the hub’s mission, global reach, team, and positive impact of its wide-ranging activities. The session emphasised the importance of RLRH’s role in supporting displaced individuals and promoting their academic and professional development.
The workshop held a discussion on RLRH’s academic programmes, which are designed to assist individuals with bachelor’s degrees (or those in the process of completing them) to access postgraduate degrees, such as master’s and doctoral programmes. These initiatives are instrumental in providing students with the skills and opportunities to transition into advanced professional careers.
Later in the workshop, CBRL team members joined the participants to welcome them to the CBRL Amman Institute. Dr. Jane Humphris, CBRL Director, offered a brief introduction to CBRL’s activities. This was followed by a round of introductions from the CBRL Amman staff members.
CBRL talked about the institutes, research themes, and initiatives, with a focus on how RLRH members could benefit from the resources and support offered by CBRL, including access to the library and space for future research gatherings.
Andonis Marden then talked about the collaborative activities between RLRH and CBRL, outlining opportunities such as research presentations, group discussions, workshops, film screenings, and book clubs. These initiatives aim to enrich the academic and professional experience of RLRH affiliates, broaden their networks, and prepare them for future opportunities.
About RLRH:
The Refugee-Led Research Hub (RLRH) is a global initiative based at the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford. Founded in October 2020, they support individuals with lived experience of forced displacement to become leaders in fields of humanitarian response, forced migration, human rights, and other areas of interest that are identified by affiliates. They deliver academic programming to a cohort of students who have been affected by displacement, supporting access to graduate degrees and professional development opportunities. RLRH also creates opportunities for researchers with displacement backgrounds to lead primary and secondary research studies, from start to finish.
Their research agenda is guided by the concerns of forcibly displaced communities and aims to have a direct impact on policy and practice. A majority of RLRH colleagues and scholars identify as current or former refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, and stateless persons, amongst other categories. The RLRH has offices in Nairobi, Kakuma refugee camp, Kuala Lumpur and Oxford.
A majority of RLRH colleagues and scholars identify as current or former refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, and stateless persons, amongst other categories.
