Strengthening the humanity and dignity of people in crises through evidence and learning
Visiting Fellows
Charles M. SimpsonVisiting Fellow
As a visiting fellow, Charles provides research guidance to the Refugees in Towns (RIT) Project. Previously, he was the Program Administrator of RIT, co-leading this global participatory study on refugee integration. In this role, he developed the project’s methodology, case studies, and developed and managed relationships with local researchers and a network of expert advisors.
Charles has expertise in social resilience, migration policy, urban studies, and qualitative field research. Prior to joining the center, Charles was Assistant Director of the Boston Consortium for Arab Region Studies (BCARS), a Carnegie Corporation project. At BCARS he managed policy analysis, field research teams, workshops, and conferences on the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East, Turkey, the Balkans, the EU, and the U.S. He has also worked with the International Institute of Education in Amman, Jordan and Muscat, Oman, and with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP).
Charles holds an M.S. in security and resilience studies, summa cum laude, and a B.A. in international affairs, magna cum laude, from Northeastern University.
- Refugee integration
- Urban Studies
- Smuggling and Borders
News Items
Karen Jacobsen and Charles Simpsen publish about refugees and COVID-19 in The Conversation
Refugees tell stories of problems – and unity – in facing the coronavirus A group of refugees living on the pavement near the Cape Town Central Police Station on the…
Read MoreKaren Jacobsen and Charles Simpson edited special issue in FMR
Charles Simpson and Karen Jacobsen helped edit issue 63 in the Forced Migration Review. Forced Migration Review issue 63 with a major feature on ‘Cities and towns’ is now online: www.fmreview.org/cities. …
Read MoreFeinstein Research Projects
Refugees in Towns
This project collects and commissions case studies of urban settings (towns, cities or sub-areas of cities) in which refugees or internally displaced people have been living for more than two years.
Read MoreUNHCR’s Confidence Building Measures for Sahrawi Refugees
The project has three components, each designed to give a different perspective on Sahrawi refugees.
Read MoreFeinstein Publications
Irbid, Jordan: A Case Report of Refugees in Towns
Irbid, Jordan is now inhabited by more Syrian refugees than Jordanian hosts. Yet the most profound changes in the city—affecting and being affected by refugees’ integration—are megatrends affecting cities the world over
Read MoreFlights Above the Fray: The experiences and uncertain future of UNHCR’s family visit program for Sahrawi refugees
Between 2004 and 2014, UNHCR’s Confidence Building Measures (CBM) program helped more than 20,000 refugees in the Tindouf desert camps of Algeria to visit their families. This report gives a human perspective of the experiences of Sahrawi refugees and their families.
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