Lina Omran, MA

Lina Omran is a doctoral researcher at the Department of Migration and Globalisation at the University for Continuing Education Krems and a member of the ERC-funded research project Refugees' Political Participation and State- (Re)Making in Displacement (RESTATE).

Her research interests include forced migration, diaspora and transnationalism, state violence, civil society, and qualitative research methods.

In her PhD project, CONTRASTATE, Lina examines how experiences of state violence in countries of origin, transit, and arrival shape Syrian refugees’ perceptions of the state and the social contract over time in Germany and Turkey.

Before joining Krems, she worked as a research assistant at the Department of Media Sociology at Bielefeld University. Her work there focused on migration, transnational families, and digital communication, and she co-coordinated the working group on Transnational Families and ICTs. She has also held research and consulting positions in regional research institutions, contributing to qualitative and policy-oriented research on civil society, conflict, and displacement in relation to Syria.

In addition to her academic work, Lina Omran brings extensive professional experience from humanitarian and international organisations, including UNICEF and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. In these roles, she worked on child protection, mental health, and psychosocial support programmes for Iraqi, Palestinian, and Syrian refugees. This practitioner background informs her research approach, particularly regarding ethics, positionality, and research with vulnerable and politically exposed populations.

ORCID iD: 0009-0009-7024-5234