John Salt
Emeritus Professor
Key achievements: Pioneering research on international migration; leadership of UCL’s Migration Research Unit and the Leverhulme Programme on Migration and Citizenship; policy consultancy for OECD, EU, UK Home Office and other bodies; extensive publications on labour migration, highly skilled mobility, and migration policy; recipient of the Royal Geographical Society Edward Heath Award.
Emeritus Professor of Migration Studies at UCL, specialising in migration, labour mobility, and policy.
Biography
Professor Salt is an expert in international migration, labour mobility, and migration policy. His research focuses on the causes and consequences of migration, patterns of highly skilled mobility, and the intersection of migration with social and economic policy across Europe and beyond. He has advised numerous international organisations and governments on migration issues and led major research programmes advancing the understanding of migration and citizenship.
- BA (Hons) Geography, University of Liverpool, 1963
- PhD, University of Liverpool, 1967
- Professor, UCL, University of London, 1996 – Present (Emeritus 2008–)
- Director, Migration Research Unit, UCL, 1989–
- Co-Director, Leverhulme Programme on Migration and Citizenship, 2003–
- Consultant to OECD, 1985–
- European Union, 1995–1997; 2000–2002
- Council of Europe, 1991–2006
- Australian Government, 2003; 2005–2006
- UK Home Office, 1999–
- National Audit Office, 2004
- Office for National Statistics, 2002
- UK Population Theme Advisory Board, 2006
- Catholic Bishops Conference: International Migration Advisory Board, 2009
- Royal Geographical Society, Edward Heath Award, 1993
- Chairman, Migration Statistics Users Forum, 2014–
Publications
Explore Professor Salt's full list of research outputs via UCL Profiles.
View publicationsGrants and Funding
Professor Salt has led and contributed to a wide range of funded projects on international migration, labour mobility, and migration policy. His work has been supported by UK and European research bodies, government departments, and international organisations, addressing themes such as intra-company transfers, the impacts of economic downturns on migration, and the political economy of migration in Europe.
- European Migration Network
Funding: UK Home Office | 2010 - Intra-Company Transfers in the IT Sector
Funding: UK Home Office, Migration Advisory Committee | 2009 - Economic Downturn and Migration
Funding: Equality and Human Rights Commission | 2009 - European Migration Network
Funding: UK Home Office | 2009 - Leverhulme Research Programme: Migration and Ethnicity
Funding: Leverhulme Trust | 2003–2011
Joint programme with the University of Bristol, involving eight research projects over five years - The Political Economy of Migration in an Integrating Europe
Funding: EU 5th Framework Research Programme | 2001–2004
Collaborative project with the Universities of Coimbra, Osnabrück, Amsterdam, Milan, Berne, and UCL
Research Interests
Professor Salt’s research explores the dynamics of international migration, combining empirical analysis with policy engagement. His work spans labour mobility, highly skilled migration, and migration governance, with a particular focus on Europe and the UK. He also investigates emerging issues such as human smuggling, the role of migration statistics, and the staffing of international branch campuses.
- International migration in Europe and the UK, with a focus on labour migration
- Global movements of highly skilled workers
- Migrant trafficking and human smuggling
- International migration statistics
- Staffing strategies in UK university international branch campuses
- Co-Director, Migration Research Unit, UCL.
- OECD SOPEMI Committee, UK Correspondent
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Emeritus Professor of Geography
Click to email. j.salt@ucl.ac.uk Click to call. +44 (0)20 7679 5525