Christiana K. Kelly

Christiana K. Kelly is an incoming Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Sociology and Development Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. She holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania (2023) and has held prestigious fellowships including the UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship and Harvard Kennedy School Women and Public Policy Fellowship. Her research focuses on education, youth, gender, and development in Africa, particularly in postwar Sierra Leone. She examines how educational policies intersect with gender reforms and global development frameworks.

Education:

• PhD, University of Pennsylvania, 2023
• MS.Ed., University of Pennsylvania, 2016
• B.A., College of William & Mary, 2011

Research Interests: Her work bridges anthropology, critical development studies, and African diaspora studies. She investigates the politics of schooling for young women in Sierra Leone, archival histories of elite women’s education, and the legacies of colonial systems in African education and governance. Recent projects include studies of Sierra Leonean girls’ education at the historic Annie Walsh Memorial School.

Key Awards:

• UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship (2023–2025)
• Harvard Kennedy School Women & Public Policy Fellowship (2021–2022)
• AAUW International Fellowship (2015–2016)

Advising & Grants: Advised Adama Samura, a Sierra Leonean scholar, and collaborated with institutions like UNICEF and the Sierra Leone Ministry of Education. Her research has been supported by the University of Oslo, PEI Peace Scholarship, and Penn’s William Fontaine Fellowship.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Annie Walsh Memorial School Oral History Project, documenting educational legacies in Sierra Leone. Collaborates with global NGOs on policy advocacy for girls’ education.