Jihan Kahssay

Jihan Kahssay has been a doctoral student at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy in Munich since 2014 where she examines public and private duties with respect to social rights.

In the past, she has worked as an immigration lawyer in California where she represented undocumented migrants in administrative and judicial proceedings. She has some experience working for the UNHCR in Ethiopia, as well as the UC Davis Immigration Law Clinic.

She is currently coordinating a research project between the Max Planck Institute and UC Davis on the categorization and social protection of crisis migrants in Africa, the Americas and Europe. Jihan is originally from Eritrea, although she has lived her entire life abroad in the Middle East, North American and Europe. She is currently an inactive member of the California Bar Association.