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Rob McNeil

Researcher, Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS), Deputy Director, Migration Observatory, University of Oxford
Rob McNeil is the Deputy Director and Head of Media and Communications at the Migration Observatory. He is responsible for public relations strategy, parliamentary and community outreach and the news and commentary work at the Migration Observatory.

Rob was part of the team who launched the Migration Observatory in 2011 and, since then, has been working to embed Migration Observatory analysis in public debates.

Rob also participates in Oxford University and COMPAS research projects, examining the social environments from which news stories and narratives about migration and migrants emerge; how media debate affects migration policy decisions (and vice versa); and how information gaps affect the way these issues are discussed. He lectures on migration and the media for the MSc in Migration Studies.

Rob is a former journalist and joined COMPAS in November 2010 after two years as the Media Director for the US environmental organisation Conservation International. Previously he worked as PR manager for Oxfam GB, Senior Press Officer for WWF-UK and as a journalist for a range of publications including the Evening Standard, The Daily Mirror, the Sunday Mirror, Red, Time Out and BBC Wildlife.

Migrant Crisis Series

Net migration: how an unreachable target came to shape Britain

May 29, 2023 05:31 am UTC| Insights & Views Life Politics

New data shows that the UK has hit a record high net migration number of 606,000. Through it has been central to 13 years of policy and rhetoric, net migration is, in fact, a pretty odd metric that tells us very little...

Economy

Copper Prices Hit Record Highs as Metals Rally Gains Momentum on Geopolitical Tensions

Copper prices surged to record levels on Thursday, extending a powerful rally across global metals markets as investors increased exposure to physical assets amid escalating geopolitical risks and ongoing supply concerns....

Indonesian Stocks Plunge as MSCI Downgrade Risk Sparks Investor Exodus

Indonesian stocks suffered a dramatic selloff on Thursday, putting the market on course for its largest two-day decline on record as fears of a potential downgrade to frontier market status rattled investors. The benchmark...

Asian Currencies Trade Flat as Dollar Retreats After Fed Decision

Asian currencies traded in a mostly flat-to-lower range on Thursday, while the U.S. dollar weakened after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and struck an optimistic tone on the U.S. economy. Currency...

Philippine Economy Slows in Late 2025, Raising Expectations of Further Rate Cuts

The Philippine economy posted weaker-than-expected growth in the final quarter of 2025, reinforcing concerns about slowing momentum and increasing speculation over further monetary policy easing by the central bank....

South Korea Industry Minister Heads to Washington Amid U.S. Tariff Hike Concerns

South Koreas Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan is set to visit Washington on Thursday to hold high-level talks with U.S. officials following President Donald Trumps announcement of plans to raise tariffs on South Korean...

Politics

Trump and Schumer Explore Deal on New Limits for Federal Immigration Agents

U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer reportedly took steps Wednesday night toward a potential agreement to negotiate new restrictions on federal immigration agents, according to a report by the...

Federal Reserve Faces Subpoena Delay Amid Investigation Into Chair Jerome Powell

The Federal Reserve has not yet complied with grand jury subpoenas tied to an ongoing criminal investigation involving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, according to a report by CNBC citing a source familiar with the...

Trump Warns Minneapolis Mayor as Immigration Raids Continue Amid Rising Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey that he was playing with fire by insisting local police would not enforce federal immigration laws, even as the White House sent mixed messages...

Starmer’s China Visit Signals New Era in UK–China Economic Relations

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday in a high-profile diplomatic engagement aimed at strengthening UKChina economic relations after years of strained ties....

Jerome Powell Attends Supreme Court Hearing on Trump Effort to Fire Fed Governor, Calling It Historic

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed on Wednesday that he personally attended last weeks Supreme Court arguments related to President Donald Trumps attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, underscoring...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Amazon Eye Massive OpenAI Investment Amid $100B Funding Push

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) are reportedly in discussions to invest as much as $60 billion combined into artificial intelligence powerhouse OpenAI, signaling a major...

Meta Stock Surges After Q4 2025 Earnings Beat and Strong Q1 2026 Revenue Outlook Despite Higher Capex

Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) shares jumped sharply in after-hours trading after the company delivered better-than-expected Q4 2025 earnings and issued a strong revenue forecast for the first quarter of 2026, easing...

Samsung Electronics Posts Record Q4 2025 Profit as AI Chip Demand Soars

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (KS:005930) delivered record-breaking revenue and profit in the fourth quarter of 2025, driven largely by booming demand from the artificial intelligence industry for advanced memory chips. The...

Microsoft AI Spending Surge Sparks Investor Jitters Despite Solid Azure Growth

Microsoft rattled investors after reporting record artificial intelligence spending alongside slower-than-expected cloud growth, raising concerns about when its massive AI investments will meaningfully pay off. Following...

Advantest Shares Hit Record High on Strong AI-Driven Earnings and Nvidia Demand

Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) shares surged to a record high on Thursday after the Japanese semiconductor testing equipment maker posted strong fiscal third-quarter earnings and raised its full-year guidance, driven by robust...