Bethlehem is a multidisciplinary scholar who uses qualitative research methods to investigate the priorities and concerns of marginalised people and communities. She has BA degree in History and MA in Social Anthropology from Addis Ababa University. Bethlehem completed a PhD at the Department of Psychology, The University of Bath.

For her doctoral research, Bethlehem explored the strengths, resilience and strategies that allowed children who live in poverty in Addis Ababa to survive poverty and other forms of marginalisation using child focused and more traditional qualitative research methods. For her MA thesis in Social Anthropology, Bethlehem conducted ethnographic research with sex workers. This work was selected and published as a monograph by Forum for Social Studies (FSS), an esteemed centre in Addis Ababa for social science research.

Prior to joining KCL in December 2024, Bethlehem has worked as a Post Doctoral Research Associate at the Open University and King’s College London leading the design and execution of the qualitative research components of four mental health and neuroscience research projects. Bethlehem is currently a Research Fellow in Qualitative Research at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at KCL.

Research Interests 

• Qualitative research
• knowledge practices and epistemic agency in relation to research involving and impacting marginalised communities
• Ethics and practice of research involving and impacting marginalised communities