Mitra Naseh

Mitra Naseh is a forced migration scholar, currently serving as an Assistant Professor and the Founding Director of the Forced Migration Initiative (FMI) at the Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on the multidimensional social and economic integration of forcibly displaced populations, shaped by her interdisciplinary academic training, lived experience as an immigrant, and extensive fieldwork with non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia.

Naseh is the co-author of the widely recognized book Best Practices in Social Work with Refugees and Immigrants, published by Columbia University Press in 2019. Her emerging body of research has been supported by foundations and federal agencies, including the Russell Sage Foundation and the Missouri Foundation for Health. In the U.S., her recent work explores structural barriers that refugees face in accessing initial services as newly arrived Missourians and involves co-designing community-led solutions to address these barriers. Internationally, she is leading a study in Türkiye that evaluates the implementation outcomes and preliminary impacts of a combined low-intensity psychological intervention and cash assistance program on stress and anxiety among Afghan asylum seekers in Kayseri.

In addition to her research, Naseh is actively engaged in academic service. She currently co-chairs the Immigrants and Refugees Cluster of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) and previously served on the Executive Committee of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM). Her community engagement includes serving on the Advisory Board of the International Institute Community Development Corporation (IICDC) and formerly as an Executive Committee Member of the Immigrant Service Providers Network (ISPN) in St. Louis.

In Brown School News

Naseh writes in The Conversation on Afghan uncertainty after court ends protections
August 18, 2025

Naseh selected for national poverty scholars program
June 30, 2025

Two from Brown School named fellows by WashU’s Center for Race, Ethnicity & Equity
May 8, 2025

Brown School faculty honored for community-engaged research at Confluence Awards
May 1, 2025

Naseh analyzes Afghan forced migration to Iran in journal article
January 21, 2025