Profile
Behind the Name
Ayan Yasin is a researcher and ethnographer focusing on migration, mobility, and citizenship. She investigates how people with diaspora connections navigate complex social and legal systems, and how belonging is formed across borders. Her approach is curious, attentive, and marked by an eye for voices that are often overlooked. She communicates her research through media such as Zetland, P1, Orientering, and TV2, and has given presentations to public institutions, civil society, and professional audiences. For Ayan, communication is not an afterthought but a central part of research—a way to bring knowledge into play so that it can be used in practice.
- She has a minority background and actively draws on her own experiences to foster more inclusive conversations.
- She has conducted ethnographic research in Egypt and Turkey, and is currently carrying out fieldwork in Denmark and Sweden
- She thrives at the intersection of research and practice, and enjoys working interdisciplinarily and across sectors.
- She believes that knowledge should be shared—and preferably with warmth, humor, and edge.
Vision
Research
Carlsberg International Postdoctoral Fellow, Malmö University (2025–2027)
Ph.D. in Social Sciences, Roskilde University (2020–2023)
Research Consultant, U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre (2024)
External Lecturer, Roskilde University (2024–2025)
Adjunct in Psychology, Tietgen Business College (2016–2017)
Teaching
Education
Interdisciplinary Master’s in Arab & Islamic Studies and Psychology, Aarhus University (2014–2019)
Coordinator, Tolk Danmark (2019–2020)
Freelance Journalist, Zetland (various assignments)
Other Professional Experience
Postdoctoral Researcher/Carlsberg International Postdoctoral Fellow 2025
Postdoctoral researcher and PI of Caught between Citizenship, Crime, and Coercion: Somali Deportees and the Challenge of Reintegration, investigating forced return and reintegration in Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The project challenges views of migration as voluntary, analyzing citizenship, crime, and coercion while highlighting barriers for returnees. Through ethnographic research and expert interviews, it reshapes migration scholarship and informs deportation policy.
Teaching courses ranging from cultural analysis and anthropological methods to globalization, migration, gender theory, and memory politics within the humanities and social sciences, while supervising over ten student groups.
External lecturer, Roskilde University
2024Research Consultant, U4 2024 (July-August)
I updated the U4 migration topic page, focusing on the nexus between migration and corruption. These updates integrate political economy perspectives and assess the impact of current policies on corruption trends.
My dissertation, Weaving the Tapestry: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Hypermobility among Diasporic Somalis in Turkey, examines why Turkey has become a new resettlement destination for diasporic Somalis. Alongside my research, I engaged in teaching, supervision, and administrative duties. As a board member of the PhD Association of Roskilde University (PARU) and the Research Committee (FoU), I represented PhD students, contributed to research policy, and worked to enhance the university’s research environment.
Ph.D.-Fellow Roskilde University
2020-2023Certificates & Awards
Area of Expertise
Migration & Mobility
Citizenship & Belonging
Interdisciplinary Research in Practice