Prof. Dr. Aladin El-Mafaalani is a sociologist and holds the Chair of Education in the Migration Society at the University of Osnabrück. He is based there at both the Institute of Educational Science and the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS). At the same time, as a representative of the NRW Ministry for Children, Family, Refugees and Integration (MKFFI), he oversees the "Coordination Office for Muslim Engagement in NRW" and is a member of the Federal Government's Board of Youth Trustees. Previously, he coordinated the integration policy of the state of NRW as head of department at the MKFFI; before that, he was a professor of political science and political sociology at Münster University of Applied Sciences and a teacher at the vocational college in Ahlen in Westphalia.

Aladin El-Mafaalani is one of the editors of the Journal for Migration Research and most recently published the books "Das Integrationsparadox" (2018), "Mythos Bildung" (2020) and "Wozu Rassismus" (2021) with the publishing house Kiepenheuer und Witsch.