Research-team leadership across livelihoods strategy, humanitarian response, and the risks facing returning migrants.
OrganisationDatadrill Research Consortium
RoleProject Research Lead
PeriodJuly 2020 – November 2021
The assignment
At Datadrill Research Consortium, I led cross-functional research teams delivering technical policy research for development audiences, including assignments for the Norwegian Refugee Council and Action Against Hunger.
The operating context
These assignments brought together strategic review and humanitarian research across livelihoods, rapid response and displacement. The work required cross-functional research delivery and technical reporting for development and humanitarian audiences.
My contributions
Led cross-functional research teams delivering technical and policy research through Datadrill Research Consortium.
Worked on the IRC Afghanistan Livelihoods Portfolio Strategic Review.
Worked on Action Against Hunger’s GFFO – F6A Area of Intervention – RRM assignment.
Worked on “Nigeria: Returning Migrants at Risk of New Displacement or Secondary Migration”.
IDMC: from field evidence to policy engagement
The July 2021 IDMC / MAGYC report and accompanying policy brief document the policy relevance of this assignment. The report’s methodology credits Datadrill Research with collecting 105 qualitative interviews in Lagos, Edo and Borno in August–September 2020. I worked on this assignment as part of my Project Research Lead role at Datadrill.
The policy question
How do voluntary and forced return arrangements affect sustainable reintegration, and when can returning migrants face renewed displacement or secondary migration?
The evidence
The purposively sampled interviews covered 40 returnees in Lagos, 41 in Edo and 24 in Borno. The study also drew on aggregated IOM reintegration data. This qualitative evidence illuminates experiences and risks. It is not a nationally representative prevalence estimate.
The policy implications
The outputs connect return and reintegration with livelihoods, housing, protection and psychosocial support. They recommend attention to security in places of origin and longer-term, development-oriented reintegration assistance.
My role and the published outputs
My contribution was through Datadrill’s research-delivery work. The publications name Chloé Sydney as lead author and Preeti Dhillon as contributing author. These are linked outputs of the assignment, rather than publications presented as my individual authorship.
Action Against Hunger: GFFO – F6A Area of Intervention – RRM
Nigeria: Returning Migrants at Risk of New Displacement or Secondary Migration
Scope and professional contribution
My role was Project Research Lead at Datadrill. These assignments form part of that research-delivery experience. The named organisations were not my employers.
