Markella Michail

I am a Greek expat living in Brussels for the past 3 years, and I am very passionate about social research. I have always been interested in research that delved into systems of reproduction of inequality and exclusion. My BSc in Sociology at Panteion University allowed me to recognise such mechanisms for the first time and it provided me with the tools to research them efficiently. During my time in the program, I studied different theoriticians that provided me with clearer lens to understand our societies. I also got in touch for the first time with qualitative tools, such as interviews and ethnographic research. Following this BSc, I started working in the Laboratory of Sociology of Culture and Civilisation. I contributed to research that delved into the reproduction of social inequality and exclusion, focusing most on issues of racial and gender inequalities. The last milestone of my academic career was an MSc in Sustainable Development in KU Leuven, through which I got to realise my interest in issues of housing inequalities. I focused my MSc thesis on the housing exclusion of the Roma in Brussels, through policy and street-level bureaucracy. Ultimately, through my academic background, I have gained diverse experience in qualitative research methods and an informed sociological point of view.

After completing my studies, I spent a year working in consultancies in Brussels, first at Stantec and then at Verian, where I supported the development of bids for EU tenders and produced data-based materials for the European Commission. Now, my career is shifting back to academics, as I will be working as a PhD for the EXPULSE project, researching mechanisms of housing expulsions in my home country, Greece. 

Research keywords: housing, social inequality, social systems, exclusion