Molly Hamm-Rodríguez

Molly Hamm-Rodríguez is an Assistant Professor in the Social Foundations of Education at the University of South Florida, specializing in anthropology of education and comparative/international education. Her work bridges critical theoretical frameworks with fieldwork in Caribbean and Latin American coastal communities.

• Regional Focus: Dominican Republic (since 2011), U.S. coastal areas, and Caribbean
• Methodological Expertise: Ethnography, oral histories, participatory action research

Research strands:

• Youth Futures: Analyzes how language, racialization, and labor intersect in school-to-work programs
• Multilingual Development: Examines policy impacts on language learning in global contexts

Supported by grants from National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, Fulbright-Hays, and Wenner-Gren Foundation, her work has been recognized with multiple dissertation awards. She has published in top-tier journals like Anthropology & Education Quarterly and TESOL Quarterly.

Scientific awards include:

• 2023 Concha Delgado Gaitán Presidential Fellow
• Outstanding Dissertation Award (CU Boulder)
• Gail P. Kelly Dissertation Award
• Frederick Erickson Dissertation Award Honorable Mention
• AAAL Dissertation Award Finalist