Washington, DC – The Im/migrant Well-Being Scholar Collaborative (“the Collaborative”) proudly announces a new scholar affiliate, Dr. Deirdre Conlon. She is an associate professor of Geography at The University of Leeds in Leeds, England, with research expertise in critical migration and border studies, the U.S. immigration detention system, immigration enforcement, carceral geographies, and borders and belonging.
Dr. Conlon’s research examines the proliferation of immigration and border controls as they are monetized. Conlon’s research is typically collaborative and builds upon an interdisciplinary background in environmental psychology.
She is co-author, with Dr. Nancy Hiemstra, of Immigration Detention Inc: The Big Business of Locking Up Migrants (2025) and Intimate Economies of Immigration Detention Critical Perspectives (2016). Her work has appeared widely, including recent scholarship published in Geopolitics (2024) and Urban Studies (2022), and is featured in news media outlets including The Financial Times and DW News.
Dr. Conlon expressed her enthusiasm for joining the Collaborative, stating, “it’s an honor to join, connect with, and contribute to the vital and timely work of the Im/migrant Well-Being Scholar Collaborative.”
The Im/migrant Well-Being Scholar Collaborative is delighted to welcome Dr. Conlon to our community of scholar affiliates that conduct multidisciplinary, empirical research on immigration. The Collaborative promotes scholars’ work and translates findings for use by policymakers and community organizations.