We Present our Alumna Flavia Fossati
“The research I conducted at the nccr – on the move is the foundation upon which I am building now.”
Flavia Fossati was a PostDoc in Phase I of the nccr – on the move, employed at the Graduate School for Public Administration (IDHEAP) at the University of Lausanne. Before that, she obtained a PhD (Dr. phil.) in Comparative Political Science at the University of Zurich. As a doctoral researcher she was a member of another NCCR, the NCCR Democracy. Since the autumn of 2018, she has been an Assistant Professor for Social Policy at the Department of Political Science in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Vienna (AU), where she pursues her major research interests in social policy, labor market integration of immigrants and active labor market policies.
Video and interview by Ellen Weigand
It was at school that Flavia Fossati, now an Assistant Professor at the University of Vienna, first realized that she wanted to pursue university studies: “It was in high school, especially in history and civic education classes, that I became sensitized to the issue of inequality,” she recalls. At the time, she had no idea that one day she would become a highly skilled academic and settle in Vienna. At first, she studied political science, sociology and international law at the University of Zurich for her own personal interest, without planning an academic career. Since then, having completed a doctorate at the University of Zurich, Flavia Fossati has embarked on a rich academic career and is the author of numerous publications.
During her time at NCCR Democracy (University of Zurich) Flavia realized she was most interested in inequality in combination with migration, and this particularly from a sociological perspective. While searching for a PostDoc position, she discovered and applied for a position advertised at the newly founded nccr – on the move as part of the project “Integration through Active Labor Market Policies.” “The theme matched perfectly my interests,” she notes. She spent four years at IDHEAP (University of Lausanne) and was a visiting fellow at the Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity and Welfare in Malmö (2016) and at the European University Institute in Florence (2017, funded by an SNSF Mobility Grant).
Flavia, who continues to collaborate with the nccr – on the move, has excellent memories of her PostDoc at the NCCR: “It was a great pleasure to work on this exciting and fascinating scientific project! It was a highly productive and dynamic period, during which I learned a lot and was able to work with very talented people. It was extremely important, both in terms of the publication output and the skills I developed in collaboration with my project colleagues.”
The Advantage of Interdisciplinary Exchanges
Another point that Flavia appreciated within the nccr – on the move was interdisciplinarity. Interdisciplinarity, Flavia thinks, is fundamental for engaging in a dialogue with scientists from other disciplines, as it exposes researchers to different points of view about their own work. Having the opportunity to discuss papers, arguments and publications with colleagues from other disciplines allowed her to learn even more: “It represented a personal enrichment, but, more generally, it is important to learn from people that are outside of one’s own bubble” she says.
Thanks to the peer mentoring in the NCCR Democracy, Flavia was able to further strengthen her skillset, for example, by organizing workshops, moderating a group and having discussions with stakeholders. “It also allowed me to exchange views with my colleagues about our positive and negative experiences, which involved both scientific and non-scientific matters. Having said this, I do not believe it is essential for such mentoring to be limited to women. This important opportunity should be offered to all young scholars to give them the opportunity to develop and acquire other skills.”
Distribution of Roles between Women and Men – Still Traditional in Academia
In terms of gender equality, Flavia notes that academic networks still often support a traditional division of roles: “Research clearly shows that women must do more than men to be published and be well received. These are facts, which are linked to well-known psychological mechanisms, such as gender biases and stereotypes. To some extent that has changed since I started my studies because of different awareness campaigns, changing recruiting strategies and the emergence of networks, for example, in the framework of the nccr – on the move, that specifically support women’s issues.”
To help women with their academic careers, Flavia recommends taking very concrete steps, such as clearly laying out the requirements for a position. It is also helpful to explicitly encourage applications by women and other minorities for academic positions: “This is often still forgotten. However, the most important thing is to follow a standardized recruitment process, which can be based on a simple Excel sheet that lists all the criteria and skills required, and which is systematically completed for all recruits. Scientific evidence shows that procedures for systematizing the application process are effective, but in practice they are not always or only partially used, either intentionally or not.”
According to our alumna, another important point to promote equality between female and male academics is to give young researchers access to funding that permits them to be independent, without supervision: “This allows them to carry out their own research project on a topic of their choice. The SNSF already offers different grants to post-doctoral scientists, such as the Ambizione/PRIMA/Eccellenza Grants, which enable PostDocs to conduct research on their own” she points out.
nccr – on the move: A Useful Network
During the time she worked at the nccr – on the move, Flavia also built up an important network: “I have stayed in contact with some members with whom I have common research interests. I established friendships inside and outside of academia. And I continue to collaborate with my former NCCR colleagues, which certainly represents a useful network. When I organize events, I first think of them, since I know their work very well.”
Flavia would recommend doing a PostDoc at the nccr – on the move, provided one has a real interest in migration issues: “This is an exciting field that will remain relevant for at least the next twenty years in the context of recent refugee movements, long-term integration issues, public opinion and the development of the political context. There is still so much to be researched and anyone interested will find a niche where he/she can make a contribution” she notes.
Experiencing Migration from the Inside: Essential
Beyond the NCCR, she points out that conducting research in the field of migration implies mobility and, often, becoming a migrant oneself, as there are not many appropriate openings in the field. Flavia even believes that it is essential to have this personal experience, for a better understanding of the domain. When she moved to Austria, she realized that the difficulties migrant women face are not always related to their status, nationality or gender. A key issue is the need to leave behind established social networks and build new ones.
She feels very privileged as a highly skilled academic whose Swiss passport makes things go rather smoothly. “Still, we can see how countries are managing migrants and the adaptations that are required. It starts with the requirement to go to the immigration office, where you register and provide proof of your assets if you do not have a work contract. You realize that if you are less privileged and unemployed, it can very quickly become complicated, which causes a lot of pressure and stress.”
Her status as a migrant also made her aware, from the inside, of the existence of institutional mechanisms and rules that lead to distinctions among various groups who may therefore be subsequently treated differently, and how this can create inequality and discrimination, both intentional and unintentional.
Another aspect of her life in Austria that fascinates Flavia is the current Austrian asylum policy. “Given my professional interest in the asylum debates, I find it very fascinating to see how it is discussed in this country. I see parallels with Switzerland and other European countries in some of the policies and measures proposed by the current government, but there are also important differences.”
“See How to Do Even Better in the Future”
Flavia cannot say today what the key to her success was. “Planning a career path is always difficult, and I am very satisfied with mine. What matters is what we do with what we have already accomplished and look forward to the future and see what we can do even better.”
However, she emphasizes that it was during her four years at the nccr – on the move that her interests – her “academic house,” as she calls it – crystalized: “This period clearly showed me my way and this research was revealing from a scientific point of view. That’s what made it so wonderful! This very productive phase allowed me to reach where I am today and is the very foundation upon which I am building now.”
Flavia agrees though that there are also some very interesting jobs outside the academic world: “I could imagine working at an international organization dealing with migration-related issues, for example. But today, I have an unlimited contract and I can finally concentrate on research!” she says, smiling.
