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 goal of this GYA strategic initiative is to enable the re-integration of exceptional, early-career at-risk scholars into research through a mentorship programme developed and led by GYA members.
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.
Membership of GYA activities is reserved to current or former GYA members only.
Active members – Active group members are current GYA members proactively participating in the group’s overall work and progress, by contributing to discussions or (text) outputs, or organising and running workshops and other (online) meetings.
Followers – Followers of a group are subscribers to the mailing list, but are not expected to actively contribute. Followers may be current members or alumni of the GYA.
Past Members – Past members are GYA members and alumni who have previously been active in the group. They are no longer included in group communications/mailing lists.
For GYA members and alumni: please use the form below to set or change your membership status for this group.
Non-GYA members: sign up for the monthly GYA newsletter by using newsletter sign-up form at the very bottom of this page.
We currently have no links to external websites to offer by this activity.
Objectives
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 by:
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.
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.
Collaborating organisations
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)
Mentoring and Membership Programmes
Professional Development Workshops
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.
Ukraine response: resources for scholars
How can you help? Resources for the Academic Community
Afghanistan response: information for scholars and host institutions
Scholarship and fellowship programmes
Other Resources
“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
“Supporting scholars seeking a new intellectual home – what can we do?” – The Research Whisperer, 5 December 2017
