Ph.D. Opportunity: Geographies of Migration and Insecurity at the US-Mexican Border
We are seeking a Ph.D. student to join the Texas State University’s Department of Geography and Environmental Studies to work on an NSF funded project focusing on issues of migration, asylum/immigration policy, infrastructure, and security at the US-Mexican border. The NSF funded project includes three years of full funding (including funded summer research in year one) beginning in Fall 2024. One year of additional funding as a graduate assistant is available upon completion of qualifying exams. The Ph.D. student will be supervised by Drs. Sarah Blue and Jennifer Devine and will join a highly collaborative, multi-institutional research team partnering with University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley and George Washington University. We welcome students with a strong commitment to social and environmental justice. Underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
Required skills for the position:
· Research experience/interest in migration studies, border studies, political geography, critical security studies, and feminist geography and geo-politics
· Fluency in Spanish
· Willingness to conduct qualitative research at the US-Mexican border
· Enthusiasm, timeliness, reliability
· Experience and/or interest in mentoring
· Ability to work independently
Preferred skills for the position:
· Training and experience using qualitative methods
· Intermediate skills in GIS and/or remote sensing
The doctoral student will contribute to research examining how changing asylum policies have impacted migration practices and patterns, as well as migrants’ journeys to the US border. The project also seeks to understand how changing policies have transformed the physical landscapes and infrastructure of the US-Mexican border through practices of securitization and border fortification. Lastly, the project aims to understand how changing migration policy and securitization of the border increases migrant vulnerability and empowers organized crime.
If you are interested in this position, please submit a ½ page letter describing how you fit the position along with a CV to Sarah Blue (sblue@txstate.edu) and Jennifer Devine (devine@txstate.edu). Contact Drs. Blue and Devine with any questions about the position. The application deadline for the position is January 15, 2024. Texas State University is a Hispanic Serving Institution located in San Marcos, Texas, and is home to more than 38,000 students and 2,000 faculty members in the growing Austin-San Antonio corridor.