Hannah Cottrell is a social anthropologist specialising in education where she works with young people in educational settings, with a particular interest in participatory methodologies. She is currently a Lecturer (teaching) in Global Health at UCL’s Institute for Global Health where she is also Co-director for the MSc in Global Health and Development. 

Hannah completed her PhD at the LSE (2024) titled: The Horizon’s Limits: Becoming the Global Middle Class in Two UK International Schools, based on 18 months of comparative ethnographic research in international schools in the UK. Her thesis explored the ways students imagined their future selves, examining how situated inequalities are reproduced and sustained through market driven education. 

Hannah’s  research interests span schooling, childhood & adolescence, educational migration, and health and social inequalities in education. Whilst finishing her PhD, Hannah worked at LSE and QMUL as a Research Assistant on projects related to public health, interpersonal violence and education.