Madeleine Sumption is a political scientist and policy specialist focusing on the impacts of migration policies and the role of migrants in the labour market. She is Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, providing evidence-based analysis of migration in the UK.

Madeleine is also interim Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee, an independent panel advising the UK Government on migration issues. Before joining the University of Oxford, Madeleine was Director of Research for the international program at the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) in Washington, DC. She holds a PhD in Public Policy from the University of Maastricht.

Madeleine’s research interests include the design of immigration policies and their economic and social impacts, labour migration, and the interaction between the economics and politics of migration policies, including government policies towards immigrant investors, the impacts of Brexit on the UK’s immigration system and the design of work visa policies. Madeleine has published her research findings widely in book chapters, articles and reports. Her recent book (2026), What is Immigration Policy For? looks at the debate around immigration policy, and possible paths forward.

Madeleine received an MBE for services to the Social Sciences in 2017.