Maj Rørdam Nielsen

PhD project

My PhD project is entitled "Immigrants' access to employment, healthcare and housing in Denmark - in law and in practise".

The project is part of Silvia Adamo’s research project “Law and Private Governance for a New Understanding of Immigrant Integration” (LUII), which aims at examining barriers to integration and the potential for private actors to promote integration better.

My PhD project is socio-legal in its nature and examines effects of the legislation, seen from immigrants' point of view. In the project I use quantitative (survey) as well as qualitative social scientific research methods.

The focus is on the access to work, healthcare and accomodation for newly arrived immigrants in Denmark, in law and in practice. In addition to this, the project looks at the role of private actors, including companies, NGOs, language schools and trade unions, in enhancing integration.

The webpage for the BASE survey, which my PhD rests on, can be found here.

Supervisor: Silvia Adamo, Associate Professor, Centre for Private Governance, Faculty of Law

Co-supervisor: Signe Smith Jervelund, Associate Professor, Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health (MESU), Dept. of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Background

I have an MSc in Sociology and a BSc in Political Science from University of Copenhagen. In addition, I hold an MA in International Law and Settlement of Disputes from the UN mandated University for Peace.

Prior to commencing my PhD, I have worked in the NGO sector with humanitarian and development aid in a number of countries: Afghanistan, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan,  Ethiopia and Iraq to name some. I have also worked with Afghan and Somali diaspora groups in Denmark and held several research positions on sociological survey projects. In my latest job outside academia, I worked for a Dutch NGO, developing methodology and conducting statistical analysis for a survey project on security for civilians in Iraq and South Sudan.

Employment

• Ph.D. student, Center for Private Governance, Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1 Sep. 2020 → 31 Aug. 2023
• Program Officer, Human Security Survey, PAX Utrecht, Netherlands, 1 Aug. 2017 → 1 Aug. 2018
• Grants Officer, East Africa and Yemen, Danish Refugee Council, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1 Oct. 2015 → 1 Jul. 2017
• Admin Grants Officer, DACAAR, Copenhagen, Danmark 1 Jul. 2014 → 1 Oct. 2015
• Admin Assistant, Diaspora Programme, Danish Refugee Council, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1 Jan. 2014 → 1 Jun. 2014
• Student Assistant, Dept for Africa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1 Feb. 2010 → 1 Aug. 2011
• Research Student Assistant, Research Group for the Sociology of Food, LIFE, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1 Aug. 2006 → 1 Sep. 2008
• Research Student Assistant, Dept of Sociology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Danmark, 1 Dec. 2005 → 1 Aug. 2006

Education

• Sociology, MSc, University of Copenhagen. Graduated: 16 Aug. 2013
• International Law and Settlement of Disputes, MA, UN University for Peace. Graduated: 29 Nov. 2012
• Political Science, BSc, University of Copenhagen. Graduated: 30 Jun. 2011
• Sociology, BSc, University of Copenhagen. Graduated: 7 Mar. 2008

Teaching sociology of law and philosophy of law in the course "Law, Moral and Politics" for Law students at BA-level.