Jean-Pierre Murray is Assistant Professor in the Government Department at Claremont McKenna College, where he is affiliated with the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies. He is also an Associate Researcher with the Centro para la Observación Migratoria y el Desarrollo Social en el Caribe (OBMICA).  

His research examines the intersection of migration and security, with a particular focus on South-South migration. He explores how state and non-state actors construct, contest, and reinforce security narratives, policies, and practices that shape migration governance.  More broadly his work engages with global governance, international organizations including the UN and the UNODC. He also examines gender in international organizations and migration governance, particularly in relation to human trafficking and human security.

His book project focuses on the securitization of Haitian migration in the Dominican Republic, analyzing how security-based migration governance, often associated with North America and Western Europe, also operates in South-South migration contexts. This work examines the institutionalization of securitization, the challenges of desecuritization, and the role of legal and bureaucratic structures in shaping migration policy. 

Murray's research has appeared in International Studies Quarterly; Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations; Ethics in International Affairs; Journal of International Organizations Studies. His paper exploring human rights and human trafficking was awarded the Fred Hartmann Prize by the International Studies Association (ISA).

He has also tutored “Migration Governance – Theory and Instruments” as part of the “Migration Policy and Governance in Latin America and the Caribbean” course delivered jointly by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Murray is a certified Mediator with a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution (Negotiation) from the University of Massachusetts Boston.