Dr Zeynep Kilicoglu

I am a decolonial feminist scholar whose passion lies in researching migration and forced displacement. My work focuses on how humanitarian and aid organizations in Western Europe, particularly in the UK and France, construct the subjectivities of women refugees and asylum seekers. I am particularly interested in investigating how these actors ascribe specific meanings to women’s ‘empowerment’ within their daily operations, with a keen focus on the opportunities provided for refugee women to amplify their authorship, visibility, and political agency.

I closely collaborate with activist networks, engaging with refugee and asylum-seeking women from diverse backgrounds. My epistemological approach involves employing ethnographic methods to co-create academic knowledge in partnership with marginalized communities. I am deeply committed to promoting inclusivity and ensuring active community engagement throughout my research processes.

I am the author of 'Deconstructing Refugee Women’s Empowerment: A Comparative Approach to British and French Aid Structures', published by Routledge in 2025, as part of their Migration and Diaspora Studies series. This research is funded by prestigious research institutions, including the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence.

As a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, I have over nine years of teaching experience in international politics, critical security studies, human rights, and social movements at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. My teaching was Highly Commended in the Inspiring Teaching Category of the LSE Class Teacher Awards for two consecutive years.

Moreover, I am the founder of SheClaims, an AI product that aims to increase the legal literacy of asylum-seeking women in the UK and reduce their dependency on solicitors and humanitarians. This project was shortlisted for the LSE Spark Award for Innovation in 2025.

I completed my bachelor’s degree in International Relations at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey and my master’s degree in Environmental Politics and Development at London School of Economics and Political Science in London, UK . I obtained my PhD degree in International Relations from Florida International University in Miami, Florida, in which I specialized in Feminist International Relations Theory. Before taking on my current role at the London School of Economics, I served as a Tutor in International Security Studies at Swansea University, Wales.

Expertise Details

Critical Security Studies; Migration and Refugee Studies; Feminist International Relations Theory