Sonja Reinhold, LL.M.

Research fellow

Research on Migration, Displacement and Integration
Project “More than four walls – innovative ideas for sustainable accommodation in and with municipalities”

Werner-von-Siemens-Straße 61
91052 Erlangen

Sonja Reinhold joined the Research on Migration, Displacement and Integration in May 2021 and works with various topics in the areas of migration, integration and the reception, distribution and accommodation of people seeking protection.

Since May 2024, Sonja Reinhold is working on the project “More than four walls – innovative ideas for sustainable accommodation in and with municipalities” (funded by Stiftung Mercator). Previously, she also worked as a research assistant on the project “Match’In – Pilot project for the placement of asylum seekers and refugees with the help of an algorithm-based matching system” (also funded by Stiftung Mercator).

From November 2021 to March 2023 she worked as a research assistant in the project “Brennglas Corona: Needs Analysis and Recommendations for Action on the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Municipal Integration Policies” (funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung) and is, together with Prof. Dr. Petra Bendel, author of the resulting study “Brennglas Corona. Lokale Integrationsarbeit in Zeiten einer globalen Pandemie”, which was published by the Robert Bosch Stiftung at the end of 2022.

Before coming to FAU, she worked at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) in Nuremberg and the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (ADS) in Berlin.

In April 2024, she began her doctoral studies at FAU’s Department of Political Science. She completed her Master’s degree in European Law (LL.M.) at Utrecht University (UU) in the Netherlands in 2020. Here, she focused on European asylum law, in which she also wrote her master’s thesis (title: “The Informalization of EU External Asylum Policy as a Threat to the Protection of Asylum Seekers?”). She received her B.A. in Political Science and Public Law from FAU and Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel.

  • Reinhold, Sonja; Euler, Katharina; Bendel, Petra; Kasparick, Danielle; Schammann, Hannes (2025): Match‘In: Results From a Pilot Project for the Distribution of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Germany Using an Algorithm-Based Matching Procedure, DOI 10.25528/260. Link to the English version (last checked on February 21, 2026).

  • Sauer, Christian; Wenzel, Carsten; Euler, Katharina; Reinhold, Sonja; Wuttke, Franke und Oitmann, Björn (2024): Match’In – Pilot Project of an Algorithm-Based Decision Support System for Individualized Recommendations of Municipalities for the Integration of Refugees, in: Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications, Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications, Hrsg. Ulle Endriss, Francisco S. Melo, Kerstin Bach, Alberto Bugarín-Diz, José M. Alonso-Moral, Senén Barro, und Fredrik Heintz. IOS Press, 4703–10. doi:10.3233/FAIA241067.

  • Euler, Katharina/Reinhold, Sonja (2023): Match’In – Pilotprojekt zur Verteilung von Schutzsuchenden mit Hilfe eines algorithmengestützten Matching-Verfahrens, in: Informationsbrief Ausländerrecht. Heft 9. September 2023. 45. Jahrgang.

  • Reinhold, Sonja/Bendel, Petra (2022): Brennglas Corona. Lokale Integrationsarbeit in Zeiten einer globalen Pandemie, Robert Bosch Stiftung Berlin 2022, verfügbar unter: https://www.bosch-stiftung.de/de/publikation/brennglas-corona (zuletzt geprüft am 24.09.2024).

2026

02/2026: Guest contribution “The intersection of digitalization, human rights, and migration: a closer look at one area of application based on two case studies,” seminar on Human Rights and AI, 10.02.2026, Fulda University of Applied Sciences.

2025

06/2025: Presentation on “Learning from new cases of digitization of the public administration. Human rights risks and potentials in the area of integration and migration policy in Germany. A zoom into the procedural basis of digitized administrative acts,” at the Migration & Societal Change Conference 2025, Panel 21: Media, Digitization and Rights, 19.06.2025, Utrecht University.

07/2025: Impulse on “‘Match’In pilot project’ on algorithm-based distribution of asylum seekers to municipalities,” expert discussions Miscellaneous Munich, 03.07.2025, LMU Munich, together with Yasemin Haferkamp.

07/2025: Guest contribution “Expert interviews and focus groups” as part of the lecture Methods of Political Science, summer semester 2025, 08.07.2025, FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg.

07/2025: Contribution to “Special edition of Praxisforum Wohnen: Science meets practice – perspectives on housing and accommodation,” 16.07.2025, organized by Tür an Tür project Wohnen statt Unterbringung – reloaded.

09/2025: Joint lecture and panel discussion on “The distribution of asylum seekers among municipalities – can an algorithm be used to match those seeking protection with suitable municipalities?”, 83rd German Welfare Day, 17.09.2025, Erfurt.

09/2025: Presentation “Match’In Pilot Project: Aligning Integration Dimensions, Needs, and Preferences with Germany’s Allocation System,” Panel: Preference Matching and Algorithmic Tools in Practice, Algorithmic Fairness for Asylum Seekers and Refugees Final Conference, 18.–19.09.2025.

10/2025: Presentation “More than Four Walls – Joint Development and Testing of Concepts for Sustainable and Flexible Municipal Accommodation for Refugees,” Academy for Political Education, 23.10.2025, Tutzing, together with Prof. Dr. Petra Bendel and Yasemin Haferkamp.

11/2025: Keynote “More than Four Walls. Joint development and testing of concepts for sustainable and flexible municipal accommodation for refugees,” event “Strong together: Municipal dialogue on reception,” organized by the International Rescue Committee, 06.11.2025, presentation of the pilot project with the Main-Taunus district, together with Michaela Heinemann.

2024

12/2024: Participation in the panel discussion on “Creating resilient structures” at the “Housing instead of accommodation” network conference, 16-17.12.2024, Berlin. Carried out by the project association “Wohnen statt Unterbringung – WosU reloaded” under Tür an Tür – Integrationsprojekte gGmbH in cooperation with the Welcome Alliance.

11/2024: Short impulse “From the state to the municipality – how can the needs-based distribution of protection seekers succeed?” as part of the online state forum “Violence protection measures in shelters for refugees – transfer of standards, implementation approaches and expertise in the relationship between state facilities and municipal shelters” on 21 November 2024. Joint event of the Brandenburg State Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Integration and Consumer Protection and the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in cooperation with UNICEF and as part of the Federal Initiative for the Protection of Refugees in Refugee Accommodation Centers.

09/2024: „It’s a Match? Ergebnisse des Match’In Projektes zur algorithmen-gestützten Verteilung Schutzsuchender auf Kommunen“, im Rahmen der 5. Konferenz des Netzwerks Fluchtforschung in Bonn, gemeinsam mit dem Match’In-Projektteam und Vertreter:innen aus der Praxis (Roundtable).

06/2024: „In Deutschland ankommen – aber wo genau?“ im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung „In Deutschland ankommen“ des Lehrstuhls für Didaktik des Deutschen als Zweitsprache der FAU.

02/2024: Workshop „Kommunen als Gestalter in der Einwanderungsgesellschaft: Welche Prozesse stärken die kommunale Handlungsfähigkeit?“, gemeinsam mit Prof. Dr. Petra Bendel, im Rahmen des Zukunftsdialogs „Einwanderungsgesellschaft vor Ort –  Krisenfest Integration und Teilhabe gestalten“ der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Migration, Flüchtlinge und Integration in Mainz.

2023

10/2023: “Integrationsanforderungen in Kommunen – Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten“ im Rahmen der Fachtagung „KIM – Change Management“ des Ministeriums für Kinder, Jugend, Familie, Gleichstellung, Flucht und Integration des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, in Dortmund, gemeinsam mit Katharina Euler

06/2023: Vorstellung des Match’In-Pilotprojekts auf dem Creative Bureaucracy Festival; Halbfinale; Link

01/2023: Vorstellung des Match’In-Pilotprojekts im Rahmen des Workshops „Calculating Migration“ der European New School of Digital Studies (ENS) (online)

2022

11/2022: Beteiligung am Podium am Fachtag der Bundesinitiative „Schutz von geflüchteten Menschen in Flüchtlingsunterkünften“ mit dem Titel „Schutzkonzepte in kommunalen Gemeinschaftsunterkünften: Ansätze zur strukturellen Verankerung und effektiven Ansätzen“ in Berlin

11/2022: Vorstellung der Studie „Brennglas Corona. Lokale Integrationsarbeit in Zeiten einer globalen Pandemie“ bei Campus Asyl e.V., Universität Regensburg

11/2022: Durchführung der Konferenz „Brennglas Corona – Bedarfe und Handlungsempfehlungen kommunaler Integrationsarbeit in krisenhaften Zeiten“, gemeinsam mit Prof. Dr. Petra Bendel und der Robert Bosch Stiftung; erstmalige Vorstellung der Ergebnisse der Studie „Brennglas Corona. Lokale Integrationsarbeit in Zeiten einer globalen Pandemie“ (gefördert durch die Robert Bosch Stiftung)

10/2022: „Integrationspolitik in Stadt und Land“, Beteiligung an einer Podiumsdiskussion der Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Rheinland-Pfalz in Mainz

06/2022: Vorstellung des Match’In-Pilotprojekt im Rahmen des „Dialogue on Tech and Migration“, einem Forum der Migration Strategy Group on International Cooperation and Development (MSG), gemeinsam mit Katharina Euler

2021

12/2021: “Pilot project for the placement of asylum seekers and refugees with the help of an algorithm-based matching system” im Rahmen des Webinars “SAFE – foSter cooperAtion For improving access to protection. The matching process in the complementary pathways and sponsorship programs”

11/2021: „Match’In. Pilot Project for the Dispersal of Asylum-Seekers with an Algorithm-Supported Matching Procedure” im Rahmen der Konferenz “Refugees Conference. Integration Harmonisation Solidarity Hospitality or what? Philosophies, Policies and Practices in Turkey and Germany, Istanbul (online)