Leigh Llewellyn Graham

Dr. Leigh Llewellyn Graham is a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education (GSE), where she teaches in the Education, Culture, and Society program and the International Educational Development program. She co-facilitates the ECS Master’s Seminar, focusing on Community Action and Social Change.

Education:

• Doctorate in Anthropology and Education, Columbia University (2014)

Research Interests: Dr. Graham explores techno-cultural dynamics in education, with a focus on identity, interdependence, and freedom in both online and offline educational spaces. Her work examines how perceptions of self, companionship, and belonging shape inclusive classrooms and urban environments. Key themes include gender, power, multispecies politics, and the intersections of technology, climate change, and globalization in education. She challenges anthropocentric frameworks by integrating nonhuman actors (e.g., animals, machines) into understandings of urban life and education.

Professional Experience: Prior to Penn GSE, she taught at Teachers College, Columbia University. She has held postdoctoral roles at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology (Germany) and the Columbia University Middle East Research Center (Jordan). Her fieldwork spans universities in Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on projects blending anthropology, education, and technology, including the Freedom of Expression project at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center.