Claire Maxwell

Claire Maxwell is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Copenhagen, affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences. She joined the department in 2018 from University College London. Her research focuses on elites, global mobility, education systems, and social inequality, with a particular emphasis on how internationalization and mobility shape class dynamics and family practices.

Education:

• PhD in Sociology (University of London, 2005)
• MSc in Applied Social Studies and Social Work (University of Oxford, 1999)
• MA(Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (2005)

Research Interests:

Maxwell’s work examines global middle-class families, elite education systems, and the interplay between mobility and nationalism. She pioneered the concept of 'cosmopolitan nationalism' to analyze how global agendas are re-purposed by elites. Current projects include SkillsINCORP (funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark), studying high-skilled professionals' incorporation into Danish workplaces, and Onboard Denmark (Innovation Fund Denmark), developing tools for SMEs to recruit international talent.

Grants & Projects:

• SkillsINCORP (2022-2025): Investigating professional integration in Danish firms
• Onboard Denmark (2021-2024): Digital tools for SMEs
• Israeli Science Foundation-funded study on mobile Israeli families (2020-2023)

Labs/Teams:

Leads cross-disciplinary teams collaborating with industry partners on global mobility challenges. Co-edits the International Studies in Sociology of Education (until 2024) and the Education in Global Perspectives book series.