Tuba Bircan
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Professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel · Director of BRISPO · Head of the AIMS Lab

Present, but not counted.

Who gets to move, belong, participate and have a fair chance?

I study how migration, technology, institutions, policies, places and social relationships shape people’s access to rights and opportunities.

Explore my research Get to know me Meet my lab
Portrait of Tuba Bircan in an embroidered white blouse
Announcement: Tuba Bircan, Responsible AI Governor for Belgium, Global Council for Responsible AIPositionResponsible AI Governor for Belgium, Global Council for Responsible AI
Announcement of Tuba Bircan's plenary keynote AI as a force for social change at FARI, BrusselsKeynote · 29 April 2026AI as a force for social change, FARI – AI for the Common Good, Brussels
Tuba Bircan on stage at the Inter-American Development Bank Regional Policy Dialogue 2025Keynote · 23–24 Sept 2025Regional Policy Dialogue 2025: Migration, Data and Inclusion, Inter-American Development Bank
Tuba Bircan with three colleagues in front of the Data for Policy 2025 Asia-Pacific conference screen at Tongji UniversityConference · 2025Data for Policy 2025 Asia-Pacific, Tongji University, Shanghai
15+years in quantitative research
70+publications
27funded projects
7cities called home

Research

Projects, past and present

Most of my work runs through funded projects with large international teams. For the EU Horizon projects, the CORDIS link opens the official EU record with every result and deliverable.

Get to know me

A migration researcher who has lived it

Ankara · startEach line is a move

I am an interdisciplinary researcher and mentor, driven by a love of data and a choice to be a social scientist. I am also a proud migrant: seven cities in five countries so far, from Ankara to Cambridge.

I have always loved small cities and I am fascinated by people's stories, so I listen and observe. I believe everybody should have equal opportunities and access to their rights, and I try to fight inequality wherever I can.

Besides my roles at VUB, I am affiliated with the Education and Society Research Unit at KU Leuven.

I am a mother of two boys who brag about their mom being a scientist. My biggest challenge is raising them as fair and caring people.

Tuba Bircan giving a talk at a lectern at the Rethinking Complex Migration conference Tuba Bircan laughing in conversation with colleagues Tuba Bircan speaking into a microphone on a conference panel

Lab & mentoring

The people I work with

I head the AI, Migration and Society (AIMS) Lab and direct BRISPO, the Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies, at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. I see myself as a facilitator of learning, and much of my favourite work happens with the researchers below.

Tuba Bircan with members of the AIMS Lab, smiling around a slide in a park in Paris
Part of the AIMS Lab at the IMISCOE 2024 conference in Paris

PhD researchers

Ten doctoral researchers I currently supervise or co-supervise.

Graduated PhDs

Doctors I supervised or co-supervised.

Ahmad Wali Ahmad Yar with the jury after his PhD defence at Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Ahmad Wali Ahmad Yar after his PhD defence at VUB, November 2023

Pre-doctoral researchers

Master's students on the pre-doctoral trajectory.

Publications & writing

What I write, in plain words

A small selection of my papers, summarised for readers outside academia. The full list lives on its own page and on Google Scholar.

✦ AI-assisted summaries

See all publications →

Advisory & service

Where my expertise is put to work

Beyond research, I advise public bodies, evaluate research for funders and help run the journals of my field.

Tuba Bircan speaking at a podium in a European Union meeting roomTuba Bircan speaking from the panel table in a European Union meeting room

Advisory roles

  • Ethical Board, AI Excellence CentreFlemish Employment and Vocational Training Agency (VDAB)

Expert evaluation

  • External expertEuropean Commission
  • Research funding evaluationBelgian, French and Polish funding agencies

Editorial

  • Editorial boardHumanities and Social Sciences Communications (Nature Portfolio)
  • Guest editorFrontiers in Human Dynamics (2023) and Social Sciences (2022), special issues on big data and migration

Listen & watch

Podcasts, talks and lectures

Tuba Bircan giving a talk on big data with a headset microphone in front of a large slide
Tuba Bircan at a Concordia University lectern, presenting a slide titled The Human in the Machine, Hiding in Plain SightTuba Bircan standing with four fellow speakers at Concordia University
Speaking at Concordia University, Montréal: “The Human in the Machine, Hiding in Plain Sight”, and with fellow speakers

Open to collaborations, speaking invitations and conversations.

[email protected][email protected]
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