Naseh is a forced migration scholar, currently serving as an Assistant Professor and the founding director of the Forced Migration Initiative (FMI) at the Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on the multidimensional social and economic integration of forcibly displaced populations, shaped by her interdisciplinary academic training, lived experience as an immigrant and extensive fieldwork with non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia.
Mitra Naseh
Assistant Professor at the Brown School
Contact Information
- Email: naseh@wustl.edu
- Website: Website
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In the media
As the US suspends visas, an in-depth look at the global Afghan refugee crisis
Trump’s moves are only the latest additions to the litany of restrictions confronting Afghan migrants and asylum seekers around the world, write Mitra Naseh and Jean-Francois Trani.
Scholar discusses refugee research
Mitra Naseh, who directs the Forced Migration Initiative at the Brown School, takes part in a podcast episode recapping the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration conference in Indonesia. She and doctoral student Jihye Lee discussed their research on resettled refugees in the U.S.
Afghans in US face uncertainty after the cancellation of their humanitarian relief
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Thousands of Afghans living in the United States face an uncertain future after a federal appeals court ruled on July 21, 2025, that the Trump administration can end a humanitarian relief program that provided them work permits and protection from deportation, writes Mitra Naseh.
One of the World’s Largest Refugee Populations, Afghans Have Faced Increasing Restrictions in Iran
As the global population of refugees increased to a record high 37.8 million as of mid-2024, a staggering 16 percent—nearly one in six—originated from Afghanistan, where they have fled several decades of civil war, persecution, and state collapse, writes Mitra Naseh.
Stories
Naseh receives grant from Missouri Foundation for Health
Mitra Naseh, an assistant professor at the WashU Brown School, has received a $612,000 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health as co-principal investigator on a new project titled “Community-Driven Solutions for Sustainable Systems Change.”
Naseh receives William H. Danforth St. Louis Confluence Award
The Brown School’s Mitra Naseh, founding director of its Forced Migration Initiative, is committed to working with local nonprofits to foster a sense of well-being and belonging among the region’s immigrants and refugees.
Naseh awarded grant to improve refugee health in Missouri
Mitra Naseh, an assistant professor at the Brown School, has received a three-year $463,654 grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to study and improve the health of refugees in Missouri.