Sam McQuillen earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Affairs from Lafayette College and an MPhil in Development Studies (with Distinction) from the University of Oxford. Although his previous research has engaged with disparate topics such as photography, grassroots movements, and sustainable supply chains across various geographical contexts, his current doctoral work focuses on participatory multidimensional poverty research in Appalachia, a coal mining region in the southeastern United States.

He would like to thank the Whitman Fellowship Program, the Beinecke Scholarship Program, the Samuel Center for Social Connectedness, Appalshop, and the Boris Mintz Institute for their support of his research.