This research stream investigates how processes of globalization and internationalization reshape notions of diversity and challenge or reproduce gendered inequalities in higher education. It analyzes both institutional strategies—such as university alliances and policy frameworks—and the lived experiences of mobile academics navigating different academic systems. Particular attention is given to how concepts like excellence, inclusion, and cooperation are interpreted and enacted in international academic contexts.

The projects in this stream examine how gender, diversity and internationalization intersect across multiple scales: from European higher education policy to transatlantic academic mobility. Drawing on Professor Kathrin Zippel’s foundational work on international scientific collaboration in the U.S.—outlined in her book Women in Global Science (Stanford University Press, 2017)—this stream explores how internationalization strategies can simultaneously foster new opportunities and reproduce inequalities. It investigates how universities incorporate gender and diversity into their global agendas and how mobile academics experience and negotiate inclusion, recognition, and institutional boundaries.