Dr Melissa Phillips is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne and a non-resident fellow at the Center on International Cooperation at New York University. She was formerly a Senior Regional Advisor on refugee protection and migration for Danish Refugee Council based in the Middle East and has academic expertise on issues related to migration, mobility and displacement that is informed by her work in the field. Melissa has worked for the UN and NGOs in Libya, the Horn of Africa and South Sudan in the areas of protection of civilians and humanitarian coordination. Her Doctorate in Social and Political Sciences on the pre-migration experiences of migrants and refugees was completed at the University of Melbourne (2013). She also holds a Master of Arts (Applied Anthropology and Development) and Bachelor of Arts (Honors). Her published work in open-source outlets and academic journals focuses on multiculturalism, migrant and refugee settlement, and transit migration. Melissa is also a Regional Advisor for the International Detention Coalition and is an Assistant Editor for the Journal of Intercultural Studies.
