Zeynep Aydar is a research assistant in the project "Integration in Rural Areas of Baden-Württemberg" at the University of Hildesheim and a doctoral candidate at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. Her dissertation project focuses on  participation of young refugees in education, and analyses the complex macro and meso level frameworks regarding education, in addition to how these are navigated at the micro level. For the past two years, she has been the PhD Representative of the Standing Committee on Migration Politics and Governance at IMISCOE. Previously, she worked at the ILS - Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development. She studied Sociology and Architectural Culture at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey (B.A.). During her studies, she spent a semester abroad at Goethe University Frankfurt. She holds a double M.A. degree from the Global Studies Programme from Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg and FLACSO Argentina. She spent another semester abroad at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

She will be joining GRITIM-UPF from May 1st to June 1st.