Laura Westerveen joined the IES in October 2015 as a PhD Researcher in the Migration, Diversity and Justice cluster. Laura is also affiliated to the Department of Political Science of the VUB and a member of the RHEA Centre of Expertise on Gender, Diversity and Intersectionality at the VUB. Her PhD project entitled Governing Ethnic (In)equality in Europe: Colour-blind versus Colour-conscious Policy Frames in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands explores how ethnic and racial inequalities are governed within the education and employment policies of different European countries. Laura obtained a M.A. with honors in International Relations (specialization: Global Governance) from the University of Groningen, and holds a B.A. with honors in Liberal Arts and Sciences with a major in Political History and International Relations from Utrecht University. She previously worked as an intern at the Dutch Consulate-General in Antwerp and as a research intern at the IES, in which she collaborated on a research project commissioned by the King Baudouin Foundation on the social and economic inclusion, religious practices, values and identities of Turkish and Moroccan Belgians.

Economic inclusion, religious practices, Migration,and foreign policy.