Ricard Zapata-Barrero is Full Professor at the Department of Political and Social Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona-Spain), and Director of GRITIM-UPF (Interdisciplinary Research Group on Immigration) and the Master in Migration Studies. He is also member of the Board of Directors the European Network IMISCOE (International Migration and Social Cohesion in Europe) and Chair the External Affairs Committee. Current Coordinator of EuroMedMig (Euro-Mediterranean Research Network on Migration) and EUMedMi Jean Monnet Network “Mapping European Mediterranean Migration Studies”.  He is also Principal Investigator of the Twinning project BROAD-ER: Bridging the Migration and Urban Studies Nexus. In addition, he is a member of editorial boards of several academic journals and an occasional contributor to media and policy debates.

His lines of research deal with contemporary issues of liberal democracy in contexts of diversity, specifically the relationship between democracy, citizenship and immigration. He promotes interdisciplinary knowledge on immigration, combine theory and case studies, and follow contextual, conceptual and interpretive approaches. His findings always try to contribute to social and political changes, and to the European and Mediterranean approach in migration studies. He is currently working on Migration Governance in the Mediterranean, Urban Governance Capacity-development and leading debates on the Intercultural Citizenship Paradigm.