Personal profile
About Me
Nir Cohen is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Geography and Environment at Bar Ilan University. His interests include population mobility, ethnic conflicts in urban environments and labor geographies in Israel. He writes about Israel's diaspora strategy and return migration policies, identity formation in cities and labor struggles against plant closures in peripheral communities.
Areas of Expertise:
- Political geography
- Immigration and citizenship studies
- Urban geography
- Geography of work
My research deals with three main topics:
1. Geography of work in thr Israeli Perifery
2. Ethnic relations in the urban space
3. Geography of "escape" and "return" of minds
Potential graduate students, who have an interest in one of these topics - are welcome to contact me. Plus, I'm always happy to hear new ideas on tangential research topics.
Education/Academic qualification
PhD
Sep 2003 → May 2008
Award Date: 1 May 2008
Master's Degree, Columbia University
Sep 1998 → May 2000
Award Date: 1 May 2000
Bachelor, University of Haifa
Oct 1993 → Jun 1996
Award Date: 1 Jun 1996
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
-
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
-
Urban mega projects on the rise: spatial and temporal shifts in urban development (1976–2020)
Cohen, B., Cohen, N. & Rotem-Mindali, O., 2026, In: Frontiers in Built Environment. 11, 1725784.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Crisisology no more? (Comparative) Migration Studies beyond the Crisis
Cohen, N. & Fogelman, T., Dec 2025, In: Comparative Migration Studies. 13, 1, 38.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate
Open Access1 Scopus citations -
Exploring the vireal: A qualitative framework for urban youth and public space in a digitally mediated world
Pfeifer, R., Almeida de Castro, R., Cohen, N., Knierbein, S., Zaban, H. & Zerlotini, V., Dec 2025, In: Methodological Innovations. 18, 4, p. 230-244 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Pandemic urban citizenship: Cities, migrants, and Covid-19 crisis. Introduction to the special issue
Fogelman, T. & Cohen, N., Mar 2025, In: Cities. 158, 105676.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial
2 Scopus citations -
Support factors in scientific mobility of Israeli female STEM researchers
Barak, Z. & Cohen, N., Dec 2025, In: Comparative Migration Studies. 13, 1, 85.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access
Prizes
Activities
-
Migration and Mobilities in an Urbanizing World
Cohen, N. (Participation - Conference participant)
16 Jun 2016 → 17 Jun 2016Activity: Participating in or organizing an event › Organizing a conference, workshop, ...
-
International Conference on the Geographies of Children, Youth and Families
Cohen, N. (Participation - Conference participant)
12 Jan 2015 → 15 Jan 2015Activity: Participating in or organizing an event › Organizing a conference, workshop, ...
-
Annual Conference of the Israeli Sociological Society
Cohen, N. (Participation - Conference participant)
24 Feb 2015 → 25 Feb 2015Activity: Participating in or organizing an event › Organizing a conference, workshop, ...
-
Annual Conference of the Israeli Geographical Association
Cohen, N. (Participation - Conference participant)
13 Dec 2015 → 14 Dec 2015Activity: Participating in or organizing an event › Organizing a conference, workshop, ...
-
Annual Conference of the Israeli Planners Association
Cohen, N. (Participation - Conference participant)
19 Feb 2015 → 20 Feb 2015Activity: Participating in or organizing an event › Organizing a conference, workshop, ...
Thesis
-
Morocco's Agenda 21 Strategy: From Planning to Action for Sustainable Development
cohen, N. (Author), Klooster, D. (Supervisor), 2000Student thesis: Thesis