Roda Siad

Q1. Who are you? 

I am a PhD candidate in Communication Studies at McGill University. I am interested in the social and political implications of emerging technologies and data-driven practices, particularly in refugee settings. My doctoral research is a multi-sited ethnographic study of humanitarian innovation and the implications of digital infrastructures on refugee governance in East Africa. 

Q2. What was your motivation for applying for the FFVT fellowship? Why Germany? 

The FFVT fellowship focuses on collaboration, building a global network and knowledge mobilisation. As an interdisciplinary and qualitative researcher, these elements are important to ensure my work reaches beyond traditional academic spaces.  

Q3. What do you expect from the fellowship? 

My time with the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) will allow me to build connections with a network of international researchers and exchange ideas and experiences. I also hope to learn more ways to connect my dissertation research to policy development and the work of practitioners.  

Q4. What is the focus of your work, and what is innovative about it? / What are your planned outcomes and activities for the fellowship period? And how do they relate to your FFVT hosting institution/ the FFVT cooperation project? 

My interdisciplinary research aims to contribute to the emerging scholarship that brings together insights from science and technology studies, critical data studies and forced migration studies, areas of study that have traditionally had little overlap. During my time as a FFVT fellow, I plan to share my research with the IDOS team through a presentation/workshop and potentially develop a policy brief.