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Olga Cojocaru is an anthropologist with expertise in migration studies and ethnographic research. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher at CIES-Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology at ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon, working on the project AspirE, "Decision making of aspiring (re)migrants to/within the EU: The case of labour market-leading migrations from Asia”, funded by the European Commission, within HORIZON Europe. Over the past years, she has been affiliated with the Centre of Migration Research at the University of Warsaw, where she has completed her PhD on migrant temporalities with a case study on Moldovan domestic workers in Italy. Her doctoral research has been conducted under Marie Sklodowska-Curie ITN as part of ‘Transnational Migration, Citizenship and the Circulation of Rights and Responsibilities’ (TRANSMIC). Olga has held fellowships and research roles at the New Europe College in Bucharest, the University of Oxford's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), and the European University Institute in Florence. Her research engages with issues of time and space in mobility processes, exploring how temporalities shape and are shaped by the lived experiences of migrants.
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Identification

Personal identification

Full name
Olga Cojocaru

Citation names

  • Cojocaru, Olga

Author identifiers

Ciência ID
8819-4D2A-F745
ORCID iD
0000-0002-8737-2549
Google Scholar ID
3KleYmAAAAAJ

Email addresses

  • olga.cojocaru@iscte-iul.pt (Professional)

Websites

Knowledge fields

  • Social Sciences - Sociology - Anthropology

Languages

Language Speaking Reading Writing Listening Peer-review
English Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2) Proficiency (C2)
Romanian (Mother tongue)
German Elementary (A2) Elementary (A2) Elementary (A2) Elementary (A2)
Italian Elementary (A2) Intermediate (B1) Elementary (A2) Intermediate (B1)
Russian Intermediate (B1) Intermediate (B1) Intermediate (B1) Upper intermediate (B2)
Portuguese Elementary (A2) Intermediate (B1) Elementary (A2) Elementary (A2)
Education
Degree Classification
2023/05/01 - 2025/12/31
Ongoing
 Post-Doc in Migration Studies (Pós-doutoramento)
ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal
2015/10/01 - 2020/11/05
Concluded
 PhD in Sociology and Migration Studies (Doutoramento)
University of Warsaw, Poland
2019/05/15 - 2019/06/15
Concluded
 Visiting Academic (Doutoramento)
Major in Migration Studies
University of Oxford Centre on Migration Policy and Society, United Kingdom
2017/01/01 - 2017/06/30
Concluded
 Visiting PhD fellow (Doutoramento)
Major in Social Sciences
European University Institute, Italy
2012/09/01 - 2013/07/01
Concluded
 MA in Social Anthropology and Sociology (Mestrado)
Central European University, Hungary
2009/10/01 - 2011/07/01
Concluded
 MA in Cultural Anthropology (Mestrado)
National University of Political Science and Public Administration, Romania
2006/10/01 - 2009/06/30
Concluded
 BA in Communication (Licenciatura)
Major in Communication and PR
Scoala Nationala de Studii Politice si Administrative, Romania
 10/10
Affiliation

Science

Category
Host institution 		Employer
2023/06/15 - Current Postdoc (Research) ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal
ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa Centro de Investigação e Estudos de Sociologia, Portugal
2014/10/01 - 2021/12/31 Contracted Researcher (Research) Uniwersytet Warszawski, Poland
Centre of Migration Research, Poland
Projects

Grant

Designation Funders
2023/06/01 - 2025/12/31 AspirE – “Asian prospects in (re)migration to/within the EU: The case of labour market-leading migrations from Asia".
AspirE
Integration into Research Grant Fellow
Horizon 2020
Ongoing
2017/01/01 - 2020/12/31 Atlas of Transitions – New Geographies for a Cross-Cultural Europe
AOT
Invited Scientist Fellow
European Union
2014/10/01 - 2018/12/31 Transnational Migration, Citizenship and the Circulation of Rights and Responsibilities
TRANSMIC
PhD Student Fellow
Universiteit Maastricht, Netherlands
 European Commission
Concluded
2014/01/01 - 2016/12/31 ERSTE Foundation Fellowship for Social Research
ERSTE Foundation Fellowship for Social Research
Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI)
ERSTE Foundation, Austria
 ERSTE Foundation
Concluded
Outputs

Publications

Book chapter
  1. Gaspar, S.; Cojocaru, O.; Carone, R.R.. "(Im)mobility aspirations and imagined pathways of young migrant descendants in Portugal". In Immigration and Families: Examining the Causes, Processes, and Consequences of Migration. --, United States: Emerald Publishing, 2025.
    Published
  2. Cojocaru, O.. "On Permanent Migrant Temporariness. The case of Moldovans in Italy". In New Europe College Yearbook 2018-2019. --, Romania: Pontica Magna Program, 2021.
    Published
  3. Cojocaru, O.; Kamila Fialkowska; Anna Rosinska. "On the Migrants or With the Migrants? Art, Academia and Challenges to Participatory Action Research". In Right to the City, Performing Arts and Migration, 87-102. --, Italy: Franco Angelli, 2020.
    Published
Journal article
  1. Cojocaru, O.; Gaspar, S.; Wang, X.. "‘Just look at those shabby trains in Lisbon’: Post-arrival disappointment amongst Chinese migrants in Portugal". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies N/A (2025): https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/cjms20.
    Published • 10.1080/1369183X.2025.2495046
  2. Cojocaru, O.. "“In the back of my mind, time always ticks one hour forward”: The transnational temporalities of Moldovan domestic workers in Italy". Population, Space and Place (2021): https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/psp.2406.
    Published • 10.1002/psp.2406
  3. Cojocaru, O.; Anna Rosinska. "Double Time-Bind in Paid Domestic Work: (Migrant) Workers and Their Employers in Italy and Poland". Culture and Society 62 4 (2018): 19-46. https://doi.org/10.35757/KiS.2018.62.4.2.
    Open access • Published • 10.35757/KiS.2018.62.4.2
Report
  1. Gaspar, S.; Cojocaru, O.; Carone, R.R.. 2024. Aspiring (re)migrants’ behaviour in mobility policies: the case of Portugal (Country report). https://aspire.ulb.be/impact/reports/mobility-policy-report-portugal.
  2. Cojocaru, Natalia; Cojocaru, O.. 2016. Making it Through: Pioneer Migration Pathways of Moldovans in Italy. https://issuu.com/erste-foundation/docs/cojocaru.
Working paper
  1. Cojocaru, O.. 2016. "Time and Migration Studies. Theoretical and methodological intersections". http://www.migracje.uw.edu.pl/publikacje/time-and-migration-studies-theoretical-and-methodological-intersections/.

Other

Other output
  1. Comparing social networks amongst Chinese migrants in Portugal. Workshop The Challenges and future of transnational mobility/Transnational what, why and how. 2025. Gaspar, S.; Wang, X.; Cojocaru, O..
  2. In a state of flux: temporal metaphors in the video diaries of Chinese youth in Portugal. Webinar 3 do Projeto AspirE, Temporalities in Migration Decision-Making between Asia and Europe. 2025. Cojocaru, O.; Wang, X.; Gaspar, S..
  3. Mobility Aspirations amongst Young Chinese, Brazilian and Ukrainian Descendants in Portugal. Conferência European Sociological Association - Tension, Trust and Transformation. 2024. Cojocaru, O.; Gaspar, S.; Carone, R.R..
  4. Managing disappointment: Comparing pre- and post-arrival migration imaginaries of Chinese in Portugal. 7th CERPE Workshop Chinese Immigrants in Europe: Living in Transnationality and Transculturality?. 2024. Gaspar, S.; Cojocaru, O.; Wang, X..
  5. Lifestyle aspirations of Chinese migrants in Portugal: a threefold temporal approach analysis. Euroseas Conference, 13rd Edition. 2024. Gaspar, S.; Cojocaru, O.; Wang, X.; Carone, R.R..
  6. The role of air pollution in the decision-making migration process of wealthy citizens from China to Portugal. European Association for Chinese Studies, 25th Biennial Conference 2024. 2024. Gaspar, S.; Cojocaru, O.; Wang, X..
  7. Flexible residency: the desirability of Portugal as a mobility destination for aspiring Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese migrants. 21st IMISCOE Conference – Migration as a Social Construction: a Reflexive Turn. 2024. Cojocaru, O.; Kwan, T.; Gaspar, S.; Ng, I..
  8. The Gleam and Fade of Golden Visa policy in Portugal: from aspiring investors’ behaviour to local people’s interests. Aspiring (re)migrants' behaviour in mobility policies. 2024. Gaspar, S.; Cojocaru, O.; Carone, R.R..
Activities

Oral presentation

Presentation title Event name
Host (Event location)
2025/04/30 In a state of flux: temporal metaphors in the video diaries of Chinese youth in Portugal Temporalities of decision-making between Asia and Europe
Iscte
2024/11/15 Managing disappointment: Comparing pre- and post-arrival migration imaginaries of Chinese migrants in Portugal 7th CERPE Workshop – 2024 Chinese Immigrants in Europe: Living in Transnationality and Transculturality?
University of Xiamen (Xiamen, China)
2024/08/29 Mobility aspirations amongst youth of Chinese, Brazilian and Ukrainian descendants in Portuga 16th European Sociological Association (ESA) Conference “Tension, Trust and Transformation”
University of Porto (Porto, Portugal)
2024/08/27 The role of air pollution in the decision-making migration process of wealthy citizens from China to Portugal European Association for Chinese Studies, 25th Biennial Conference
University of Talinn (Talinn, Estonia)
2024/07/23 Lifestyle aspirations of Chinese migrants in Portugal: a threefold temporal approach analysis Euroseas Conference, 13th Edition
University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
2024/07/04 Flexible residency: the desirability of Portugal as a mobility destination for aspiring Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese migrants 21st IMISCOE Conference – Migration as a Social Construction: a Reflexive Turn
Iscte (Lisbon, Portugal)
2024/01/29 The Gleam and Fade of Golden Visa policy in Portugal: from aspiring investors’ behavior to local people’s interests Webinar “Aspiring (re)migrants behavior in mobility policies”, within the scope of the AspirE project
online
2024/01/24 “Permanently temporary” away: Temporal implications of transnational family life. Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Families series of seminars
Cies-ISCTE (Lisbon, Portugal)
2023/04/13 On Permanent Migrant Temporariness or “why there is nothing more permanent than temporary migrant workers?" workshop "Diaspora, migration, mobility in research humanities and social sciences” of the conference Smart Diaspora
Universitatea din Timisoara (Timisoara, Romania)
2022/07 Temporalities of migrant domestic work IMISCOE Annual Conference
PRIO (Oslo, Norway)
2021/08/30 "In the back of my mind, time always ticks one hour forward": The transnational temporalities of Moldovan domestic workers in Italy Webinar “Transnational lives: the meanings and implications of living in two countries”
PRIO and MITRA IMISCOE
2020/02/25 In the meanwhile: Time welfare and prolonged temporariness of Moldovan domestic workers in Italy The 21st Migration Seminar
Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, University of Warsaw (Warsaw, Poland)

Event organisation

Event name
Type of event (Role) 		Institution / Organization
2025/01/01 - 2025/04/30 Coordinated the organisation of a 2-day webinar on the temporalities of migration decision-making between Asia and Europe, involving 11 country presentations and 4 discussants, within the project AspirE (Asian prospects in (re)migration to/within the EU) (2025/04/29 - 2025/04/30)
Conference (Co-organisor)
 Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium

ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal
2017/01/01 - 2017/05/19 Co-organiser of the panel „Temporalities of Migrant Well-Being, Rights and Responsibilities” within TRANSMIC Final Conference ‘Migration, Rights and Citizenship: Coming Full Circle in a Challenging Environment’ (2017/05/18 - 2017/05/19)
Conference (Co-organisor)
 European University Institute, Italy

Universiteit Maastricht, Netherlands
2017/01/01 - 2017/05/19 Co-organiser of the panel „Temporalities of Migrant Well-Being, Rights and Responsibilities” within TRANSMIC Final Conference ‘Migration, Rights and Citizenship: Coming Full Circle in a Challenging Environment’ (2017/01/01)
Conference (Member of the Organising Committee)

Event participation

Activity description
Type of event 		Event name
Institution / Organization
2023/03/23 - 2023/03/25 "Precarious work and transnational migration" panel moderator (in Romanian, online)
Conference
 "Capitalist transformations in Romania: unequal development and social gaps"
Universitatea Babes-Bolyai, Romania

Ad Hoc journal article review

Journal title (ISSN) Publisher
2025/05/01 - Current Comparative Migration Studies (2214-594X) Springer Open
2024/03/01 - Current Population, Place and Space (1544-8452) Wiley
2021/10/01 - Current Central and Eastern European Migration Review (2300-1682) University of Warsaw

Association member

Society Organization name Role
2025/03/31 - Current APA - Associação Portuguesa de Antropologia/ Portuguese Anthropological Association Member
2015 - Current ESA - European Sociological Association Member

Committee member

Activity description
Role 		Institution / Organization
2025/02/01 - 2026/02/01 Early Career Research Board ECRB’s Representative within the context of the Horizon-funded project AspirE. Roles: to lead the collaboration with other SC members concerning data gathering, data analysis and dissemination of research results; to facilitate the organisation of various AspirE activities, such as webinars, podcasts and a final conference; organisation and moderation of 6 monthly ECR seminars
Member
 Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium

ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal

Course / Discipline taught

Academic session Degree Subject (Type) Institution / Organization
2025/05/12 - 2025/05/12 Time and Migration: Intersections (Pós-Graduação) ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal
2022/10 - 2024/04 Lectures on social identity titled "Who we are and who we say we are: Deconstructing together layers and narratives of social identity" within the Regional Seminar “European Identity” (editions 2022, 2023, 2024) Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung eV, Germany

Interview (tv / radio show)

Program Topic
2024/10/24 - Current AspirE podcast series, episode 2 Socio-legal context of mobility policies
2019/09/20 - Current New Europe College Video Interview Temporary labour migration, academic profile, research findings
Distinctions

Award

2019 Pontica Magna Fellowship
New Europe College – Institute of Advanced Studies, Romania
2014 ERSTE Foundation Fellowship for Social Research
ERSTE Foundation, Austria
2014 Marie Curie-Sklodowska Fellowship for Doctoral Studies

Other distinction

2012 MA tuition waiver
Central European University, Austria