Sophie Bols (she/her) is a doctoral researcher at the Law & Diversity Research Group and the Migration Law Research Group at Ghent University. Her research, titled: “The (In)visible Gender Dimension of EU Externalisation Migration Policy: Masculinity, Intersectionality, and Vulnerability,” explores how EU externalisation migration policies construct masculinity and the impact thereof on migrant men of colour in migration trajectories towards the EU. Taking a socio-legal approach, her work combines critical legal research with empirical research, drawing on case law analysis and ethnographic fieldwork to examine the intersections of gender, race, and vulnerability in externalisation policies. Her doctoral research is supervised by Prof. Dr. Pieter Cannoot and co-promoted by Prof. Dr. Ellen Desmet, with the support of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO).
Sophie obtained a Master of Laws (cum laude) from KU Leuven, followed by an LL.M. in Tax Law at the same university. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Gender and Diversity Studies at Ghent University. During her Erasmus exchange at Luiss University in Rome, she was enrolled in the Master’s program on Law, Innovation, and Sustainability.
Before embarking on her PhD, Sophie gained professional experience in both the corporate and public sectors. She began her career as a Corporate Tax Advisor at KPMG, before transitioning to the public sector as a Protection Officer at the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS). In this role, she conducted asylum interviews, assessed applications for international protection, and contributed to policy-making as a member of the Gender Unit, advising on gender-sensitive asylum claims.
During her studies, Sophie was Vice President Moot Court at The European Law Students Association, provided pro bono legal advice to low-income tenants through the KU Leuven Legal Clinic on Rental Law, and participated in the Youth Parliament as a Council of State member.
Sophie is a member of the Human Rights Network and the Centre for the Social Study of Migration and Refugees.
