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Divya Balan is a faculty member of International Studies at FLAME University. With a doctorate in European Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, she brings over a decade of teaching, research, and field experience to her work on migration, the Indian diaspora, and refugee studies, fields that stand at the very heart of contemporary global debates. Awarded the prestigious Europe Area Studies Programme Grant during her doctoral studies, Divya also served as an International Research Fellow of the Institute for European Global Studies at the University of Basel, Switzerland, an experience that deepened her commitment to cross-border and interdisciplinary perspectives. She has also taught at the University of Delhi (Shri Ram College of Commerce & Kamala Nehru College) and the Central University of Kerala, where she mentored students, guided dissertations, and contributed to shaping the next generation of scholars. Currently, she serves as Senior Research Fellow at the International Institute for Migration and Development (IIMAD, Kerala) and as Joint Secretary of the Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT, New Delhi). As a migration policy consultant with the UN–IOM India and civil society organisations, she continues to bridge theory and practice, bringing people-centred perspectives into governance. Divya has published across scholarly journals, edited volumes, and various media platforms, both in English and Malayalam. She is also the co-editor of Making a Stronger Case for Multidisciplinary Approaches to the Study and Practice of Indian Diplomacy (2025); The India Mosaic: Unravelling India’s Built, Culinary, and Artistic Traditions (2025); India Entwined: Narratives from Ecological and Economic Frontiers (2025); and Gender and Migration in the Arabian Gulf (forthcoming – February 2026). A passionate teacher, engaged researcher, and dynamic public speaker, Divya balances her academic life with a deep passion for exploring the layered histories and society of her home state, Kerala. She can be reached at: divya.balan@flame.edu.in