On 8^th February 2021, the European Commission announced the latest recipients of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowships (MSCA-IF). This programme supports experienced and outstanding post-doctoral researchers to conduct research projects on global challenges such as climate change, health and migration. The MSCA-IF allows fellows to work in their research fields while receiving training and supervision at top universities in Europe and associated EU countries, allowing them to enhance their skills and boost their careers.

Among this year’s awardees is Dr Stefano Angeleri, who will join QUB Law School to work on his research on the right to health of Venezuelan irregular migrants in Colombia. Dr Angeleri is a postdoctoral researcher at the Irish Human Rights Centre, NUI Galway and a qualified lawyer in Italy, with wide experience in the fields of human rights, legal advocacy and migration law.

I had the chance to speak with Dr Angeleri, about his research project and his experience in applying to the MSCA-IF:

 

Q:  Can you tell us a bit more about the project you will develop in the framework of the MSCA-IF?

A:  During my PhD, I analysed the theoretical and legal aspects of the limitations in international human rights law for the protection of the right to health of irregular migrants. In my last year of the PhD, I thought about the possibility of developing a project that would allow me to operationalise my human rights analysis and verify whether it could work in practice in the Global South.  In this way, I considered that the situation of irregular Venezuelan immigrants in Colombia could be the perfect case study to do this.

The Venezuelan case is one of the largest situations of mass migration worldwide. Likewise, Colombia has been the main recipient of these migrants and has a particularly progressive constitutional system in relation to the human rights of Venezuelan migrants, especially in terms of their access to health care.

In this context, my project aims to establish links between the fields of public health policy and human rights law to shape a regulatory framework to address the health needs of Venezuelan migrants in a non-discriminatory, cost-effective and preventive way. It seeks to generate a greater interaction between different state and non-state actors, helping them to define human rights-based strategies for the provision of health care and other social services to the most vulnerable Venezuelan migrants in Colombia.

Also, in recent weeks the Colombian government passed a decree which will implement an unprecedented regularisation scheme, covering more than one million Venezuelan irregular migrants. This will add layers of interest for this project, by looking at how state and non-state actions have worked until now, and how they can be reassessed and shaped, in terms of keeping with public health and human rights norms, for the months and years ahead.

 

Q: Why did you apply for the MSCA-IF?

A:  When I was developing my project idea, I attended the Conference of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) where I was able to discuss with my project with Colombian scholars. At this stage, I considered that the MSCA-IF would be the best option to fund and implement it.

I found that the programme not only funds the research project but also allows postdoctoral researchers to enhance their research careers and to further develop skills while establishing new collaborations with the best researchers and research institutions around the world. In this way, the programme would allow me to gain new skills in interdisciplinary research, to be affiliated with a top university such as QUB and to be able to do fieldwork in Colombia.

The MSCA-IF would also allow me to interact with different state and non-state actors in Colombia, such as policymakers, NGOs and academics; to participate in strategic litigation through the Legal Clinic of the Universidad del Rosario; and to create spaces such as conferences and symposia with the aforementioned actors to catalyse their knowledge on migration, human rights and healthcare.

 

Q: Why did you choose QUB Law School as the institutional placement for the MSCA-IF?

A: QUB is ranked among the top universities worldwide. The fact that QUB is part of the Russell Group was also of great importance, as it reflects QUB's commitment to research excellence. However, the most important factor in choosing QUB was my supervisor, Professor Thérèse Murphy. Professor Murphy is a renowned academic and researcher in the UK. She has extensive experience and expertise in the relationship between human rights and health- and her knowledge and support were essential in the development of my final proposal for the MSCA-IF call.

In addition, QUB Law offers important research training opportunities and has collective spaces such as the Human Rights Centre, where it is possible to participate in discussions and academic activities of high social impact. 

 

Q: Can you explain how the partnership between QUB and Universidad del Rosario (Colombia) will work for the development of your project?

A:  The partnership means that I will be able to develop the substantive and practical aspects of my project between the two universities. At the Universidad del Rosario (Colombia) I will spend 18 months working on the practical and impact aspects of my project. I will participate in strategic litigation activities through its legal clinic and present my work at conferences and symposia.

After that, I will spend 12 months at QUB working with Professor Murphy on the substantive and core aspects of the project while participating in training activities, collaborative research and networking with renowned academics from the UK.

 

Q: Finally, would you like to give any advice to PhD students and post-doctoral researchers who are interested in applying for the MSCA-IF?

A: I would recommend not to apply immediately after finishing your PhD. Before applying, you need to demonstrate that you have further research and project management skills after finishing your PhD. This can be both in the academic and non-academic worlds.  In my case, I had been involved for several years in academic and research activities, legal advocacy and project management.

I would also recommend that you think carefully about the project proposal you want to submit: It needs to be original, innovative and interdisciplinary. It is also important that the topic addresses the priority areas of the call. Do not apply at the last minute; take the time to organise your ideas and generate a coherent project.

 

If you are interested in applying to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowships (MSCA-IF), please visit the following link.