Initial Efforts and Emerging Outcomes
Cultivating Solutions-Oriented Research
Supporting Innovative Research: IAJS’ annual grant series for pioneering faculty research, launched in 2025, enhances community outcomes related to the movement of people. One notable project utilizes neuro-humanities tools to support the repatriation and resettlement of nearly 2,000 forcibly displaced Chagossians.
Collaborative Knowledge Building to Drive Action: IAJS and Welcoming America are organizing a practitioner-researcher workshop in spring of 2026. The event will help define innovative research agendas based on community needs and initiate collaborative efforts to equip cities with evidence to effectively navigate the complexities of population movement.
Learning from Community Successes: IAJS and Stanford’s Educational Opportunity Project are developing innovative research methods to identify and create in-depth case studies of "bright spot" communities that have equitable educational outcomes. Over time, these efforts can inspire a broader scholarship movement across sectors to better understand and promote practices for thriving cities where every resident has the opportunity to succeed.
Fostering Cross-Sector Collaboration
Collective Action Networks: We are partnering with faculty across Stanford’s Humanities & Sciences and School of Medicine to create collective action networks that bring together academics and practitioners to identify knowledge gaps, set research priorities, and implement best practices. These efforts aim to address pressing needs, such as healthcare access, immigrant youth well-being, and housing equity and justice.
Promoting a Creative and Constructive Dialogue: “What Can Become of Us?” is a nationwide collaboration with Zócalo Public Square featuring newly commissioned art and conversations to envision new perspectives on migration and how people unite across differences. The four events will soon air on Arizona PBS, enhancing public education and impact.
The Arts Expand Understanding: The “Music and Migration Remixed: A Conversation and Concert” featured scholars, artists, and thought leaders who have made immigrants the cornerstone of their work, and a concert with IAJS Visiting Artist Meklit Hadero and The Movement Immigrant Orchestra. This creative gathering fostered rich discussions that celebrated positive impacts, highlighted needs, and inspired action.
Public Conversation: We are launching an Eminent Speaker Series to promote meaningful public engagement around critical social issues that inspire positive change. The inaugural event will feature Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah in 2026, discussing human stories of migration through his acclaimed novel, Afterlives.
Equipping Networks with Insights for Change
Customized Briefings for Local Governments: We are piloting a briefing series in collaboration with associations of local officials, including the Bay Area Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. These sessions will deliver research insights from faculty collaborators tailored to the needs of cities, equipping public officials with the latest evidence to inform their decision-making.
Enhancing and Scaling Civic Engagement: IAJS and Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab are co-designing projects using the Lab’s Online Deliberation Platform to boost civic participation and address community priorities in our partner cities. The platform will also provide valuable qualitative data for researchers, uncovering new directions for inquiry rooted in community priorities.
Insightful Teachings for Current and Future Leaders: IAJS and Stanford d.school are in early stage development of a customized training program to equip city leaders with human-centered design tools to navigate the complexities of population movement and address community needs. Longer-term plans are underway to design an undergraduate seminar course, led by IAJS faculty and community partners, that provides hands-on learning experience to address real-world challenges.