Niklas Ayris's research sits at the intersection of the sociology of migration, social mobility, and work. Before beginning his doctoral studies, he worked in the restaurant industry (as a chef in Paris and Stockholm) and later as a research assistant at CRIS. He also completed a master’s thesis at Sciences Po on the subjective social mobility of migrants in France. His doctoral project uses a multimethod approach — combining quantitative, computational, and ethnographic analyses - to examine the relationship between spatial and social mobility both on a larger scale, and within a particular sector: kitchens, a professional environment that is simultaneously disadvantaged, specialized, and hierarchical. Specifically, it explores how trajectories develop, and how these relate to individuals’ perceptions and constructions of their own social mobility.

PhD Topic: A Subjective-Objective mismatch? The social mobility of immigrants in France (Provisional title).
Thesis Directors: Ettore Recchi (Sciences Po – CRIS) and Gabriel Feltran (Sciences Po – CEE).
Funding: Contrat doctoral Sciences Po (2025-2028).

A Subjective-Objective mismatch? The social mobility of immigrants in France (Provisional title)