Pia Noel

Pia Noel is a PhD Candidate in Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh. She is affiliated with the Edinburgh Centre for Medical Anthropology (EdCMA) and works within the Department of Social Anthropology. Her research explores the intersection of mental health systems, international aid, and modern nation-building in post-earthquake and federalizing Nepal. She is supervised by Professor Ian Harper, Dr. Sumeet Jain, and Dr. Kaveri Qureshi, and funded by a Wellcome Trust Society & Ethics Doctoral Studentship.

Research Interests: Pia's work focuses on cultural and political dimensions of mental health policy, aid dependency, and social change in South Asian contexts. She uses ethnographic methods to analyze how actors negotiate global health norms and local aspirations for modernity.

Publications: Her contributions include systematic reviews on topics such as intimate partner violence in Sub-Saharan Africa, psychosocial interventions for intellectual disabilities, and the role of social capital post-disaster/conflict. She has also reviewed literature on healthcare decision-making in Bhutan.

Education:

• PhD Candidate in Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh (2016–present)
• MSc in Global Mental Health, University of Glasgow (2015–2016)
• MA in Psychology & Social Anthropology, University of St Andrews (2009–2013)