Arbeits- und Forschungsschwerpunkte
Dr Michaela Bruckmayer works as Senior Researcher and Project Manager in the area of Employment and Equal Opportunities. Michaela leads and coordinates multi-country and multi-partner projects funded by the European Union. She also works on research and evaluation contracts for Austrian Federal Ministries.
Prior to joining ZSI, Michaela worked as Research Lead for Refuge, a charity organisation focusing on supporting women and children experiencing domestic abuse and other forms of gender-based violence. Previously, Michaela worked as Senior Analyst at RAND Europe, a not-for-profit research organisation. She was responsible for managing large-scale, multi country research and evaluation projects for both UK and European Union clients. This included but was not limited to the UK Department for Work and Pensions, the UK Department for Education, the European Commission (DG JUST, DG EMPL, DG HOME), the European Parliament and the European Institute for Gender Equality, the Early Intervention Foundation, and the JP Morgan Chase Foundation. Her thematic focus areas include gender, (forced) migration, children and youth.
Michaela has significant experience in designing and executing qualitative research methods, including but not limited to (semi-)structured interviews, focus groups, workshops, and surveys. She is experienced in using NVivo Qualitative Data Analysis Software.
Michaela holds a PhD in Politics at the University of Sheffield, a Master of Arts in International Affairs, and a Bachelor of Business Administration. She speaks fluent German and English and basic Spanish.
Previous research positions
- Since May 2025: Senior Researcher and Project Manager, ZSI.
- Nov 2022 – Apr. 2024: Research Lead, Refuge.
- Apr. 2019 – Nov 2022: Senior Analyst, RAND Europe.
- Jan. 2018 – Apr. 2019: Evidence & Evaluation Adviser, Macmillan Cancer Support.
- Oct. 2014 – Apr. 2019: PhD Researcher, MIGPROSP project, University of Sheffield.
- Aug. 2012 – Apr. 2014: Researcher, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS).
- Summer 2012: Intern, Refugee Transitions.
- Jan. – May 2012: Research Intern, Organization for Refuge, Asylum & Migration.
Education and training
- PhD in Politics, University of Sheffield, UK.
- MA in International Affairs, California State University, Sacramento, CA, USA.
- BBA in Business Administration, Midwestern State University, TX, USA.
- Matura, Vienna, Austria.
