Alan Gamlen is the Director of the ANU Migration Hub and a Professor in the School of Regulation and Global Governance at ANU. He has worked on human migration and mobility research for two decades and held related appointments at Oxford University (where he received his doctorate), Stanford University, the Max Planck Society, the Japan Centre for Area Studies, Monash University and Wellington University in his homeland, New Zealand. In 2010-2020 he was Founding Editor-in-Chief of the journal Migration Studies (Oxford University Press). In 2016-17 he was Director of the Australian Population and Migration Research Centre. He advises many migration-related international organizations, governments, service providers, and NGOs. He is currently an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and a member of the ARC College of Experts.

Awards and distinctions

2022 Ranked 4th in the world on the topic of 'diaspora' by ScholarGPS (out of 10,000 ranked scholars on this topic). Ranked in the top 1.3% of all academics in the world by ScholarGPS (out of 29 million ranked individuals)

2020 Winner, Distinguished Book Award, Best Book on Ethnicity & Migration, International Studies Assoc. Other nominations: Best Book on Migration & Citizenship, American Political Science Association; Yale H Ferguson Award, International Studies Association-Northeast; Crisp Prize, Best Book on Political Science, Austral Political Studies Association; Best Book on International Politics of Migration, Refugees & Diaspora, British International Studies Association

2018 Finalist, Supervisor of the Year Award, Monash University

2014 Winner, President’s Award for Best Emerging Researcher, New Zealand Geographical Society

2010 Runner-up, Maria Ioannis Baganha Award for the Best Dissertation in Europe (IMISCOE)

2006 Winner, Holly Wyatt-Walter Award for Best International Policy Research, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford

2005-08 Winner, Top Achiever Doctoral Scholarship, New Zealand (also offered Australian PA & RTA awards)

2003-05 Winner, Japanese Government Monbukagakusho Scholarship

1999-2002 Winner, Most Outstanding Academic Excellence and Community Service Award, & Graduate Award

Reviewer comments on Human Geopolitics:

2020: Comments from a Dedicated Review Symposium by the European University Institute:

• ‘No one has attempted such an authoritative and wide-ranging review before…the reference which all other attempts must improve on…This is ground-breaking stuff’, Prof. Michael Collyer, Sussex Uni.
• ‘A seminal academic public good’, A/Prof. Harris Mylonas, George Washington Uni.
• ‘Fundamental to the development of the literature on diasporas’, Dr Luicy Pedroza, El Colegio de México, and Leibniz Institute of Global and Area Studies.
• ‘An essential text for anyone interested in diaspora engagement and politics’, Dr Jen Dickinson, Winchester Uni.
• ‘The original data...will doubtless be in high demand’, Prof. Maarten Vink, Maastricht University / European University Institute.

2020: ‘a reference book for both public servants and social sciences scholars.’ Turkish Journal of Diaspora Studies: Birsen Aybüke Evranos, Istanbul University, Turkey.

2020: ‘a fantastic contribution that will be useful to researchers of migration and diaspora, as well as citizenship, for years to come’. Global Policy: Dr Gerasimos Tsourapas, Birmingham University, UK.

2020: ‘this book is a must’. International Migration Review: Rilke Mahieu, Univ. of Antwerp, Belgium.

2020: ‘a groundbreaking longitudinal study of diaspora institutions that has not been previously accomplished.’ The AAG Review of Books: Amina Ghezal, University of Exeter, UK.

2020: ‘an important contribution to the political scientific strand of migration studies’. Journal of Peace Research: Dr Cathrine Talleraas, Peace Research Institute Oslo, Norway.

2019: Foro Internacional 59(3/4): 1247, Airée Coronado López, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

2021: ‘an admirable study’. Tan Chee-Beng, Melbourne Asia Review 8: 10 Nov.

2021: ‘a very important addition in the study of … diaspora and emigration.’ Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism: Praveen Kumar Tiwari, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi, India.