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The need to protect and support academic researchers fleeing conflict zones around the world is urgent. These intellectuals are perceived as threatening to regimes and extremist groups and are targeted directly as a result. Their survival and that of their families often requires them to leave their home countries which brings their research careers to a startling halt. In the countries that host them, they struggle to gain access to or acceptance within the professional networks needed to sustain their research careers. This demoralising experience poses a serious threat to scientific discovery and undermines the rebuilding capacity of a country once the conflict or threat ends.
The initiative has two main aims:
1) To contribute to at-risk scholar re-integration into a scholarly work environment and support the development of research skills and connections relevant to their host countries.
2) To support exceptional early- or mid-career at-risk scholars in developing competitive membership applications to the GYA and/or National Young Academies (NYAs). Professional networks like young academies provide critical opportunities for scholars to collaborate and engage with peers around the world.
Find out more below: about the initiative and its partners; what you or your organisation can do to support at-risk and displaced scholars; a list of resources and relevant networks.
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Since 2018, 35 mutually beneficial mentoring relationships between members of the GYA initiative and at-risk scholars have been established, leading to increased professional network connections and opportunities for at-risk scholars.
Through the ARSI endorsement programme, 5 at-risk scholars have been successfully selected as new GYA members over three selection rounds from 2019 – 2021. Started as a pilot, the endorsement programme has now been made a permanent membership pathway to facilitate at-risk scholar membership in the GYA.
Looking forward, the At-Risk Scholars Initiative aims to expand the reach of career development workshops – in-person and online – in cooperation with partner organisations, including those that work with at-risk scholars in low- and middle-income countries.
“Ukranian academics face exile, harassment and censorship in ongoing war”, The Conversation, March 2022
“The scientific knowledge being lost to conflict”, BBC, November 2021
GYA Declaration of Support for Afghan Scholars, August 2021
“Academic precarity is bad for everyone, but it’s even worse for scholars at risk” – Times Higher Education, November 2019
“Helping Refugees Continue their Scientific Work in Europe” -EU Joint Research Centre, April 2019
“Supporting displaced scholars through the At-Risk & Refugee Scholar Membership Initiative” – GYA Connections, May 2018
“Halifax would be a good home for refugee scholars, researcher says” – The Signal, 14 February 2018
Interview with Dr S. Karly Kehoe on CTV Atlantic, on outreach to refugee and at-risk scholars, CTV Atlantic, February 2018
“Science in Exile” – Film produced by The World Academy of Sciences, 12 February 2018
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“Supporting scholars seeking a new intellectual home – what can we do?” – The Research Whisperer, 5 December 2017
Podcast: “The Role of the State: Episode 4 of the ISC Podcast Series on Freedom and Responsibility in Science in the 21st Century” – ISC President Peter Gluckman and group co-lead Saja Al Zoubi delve into the role of the state in promoting freedom and responsibility in science.
In September 2022, group co-lead Saja Al Zoubi presented the activities of the At-Risk group at the GYA online event “Young and Global – A perspective on today’s challenges in science” together. This event was part of the Science Summit of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77). Read more about the session and watch the full presentation here.
We work with partner organisations to advance its aims and to identify promising post-Ph.D. scholars in any research-based discipline, including the sciences, medicine, engineering, social sciences, and the arts and humanities, who are approximately 30-43 years old and are currently residing in a foreign country because of safety issues in their home country, or asylum/refugee status.
Please note that all mentees in our programme are referred by partner organisations. Unfortunately, at this time, we are unable to serve scholars who are not referred by a partner organisation. If you would like to discuss partnership opportunities, please contact us.
IIE Scholar Rescue Fund (SRF)
Scholars at Risk (SAR)
Wolfson College, University of Oxford
Council for At-Risk Academics (cara)
Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s Philipp Schwartz Initiative
The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)
The E.U. Joint Research Centre (JRC)
Young Academy of Scotland, At-Risk Academics & Refugee Membership Programme
Science in Exile (ISC, IAP and TWAS project)
How can you help at-risk scholars? Resources for the Academic Community
Scholarship and fellowship programmes
(National) Young Academy initiatives to support at-risk scholars in their countries:
