Dr Marianna Koli
Faculty Director of Social Sciences
Biography
Prof Marianna Koli joined Northeastern University London for its first teaching year, and has held a range of responsibilities at the University. She is currently Faculty Director of Social Sciences, overseeing Business & Project Management, Design & Communication Studies, Economics, Politics & IR, Sociology and Anthropology, and Psychology. She became Professor in Higher Education and Economics in 2024.
Marianna is also an Associate of AdvanceHE, contributing nationally and internationally to assessing applications for teaching qualifications, and is the Northeastern University London Institutional Lead for AdvanceHE faculty professional qualifications.
She has previously managed teams in other subject areas at Northeastern University London, such as Professional Skills (the Launch programme) and Mathematics. She has a strong interest in student employability, experiential education, and faculty development.
Marianna was educated at the University of Manchester. She gained a BSc degree in International Management with American Business Studies, an MSc in Business Economics, and a PhD in Development Policy and Management. She held a full-time academic position in the Department of Economics at the University of Birmingham, before joining Northeastern University London in 2012.
Prior to her academic career, she worked in accounting and logistics at ExxonMobil, and as an executive research assistant for the United Nations. Her experience in supporting students and staff in Higher Education is underpinned by a number of pastoral and advisory positions in educational organisations and charities.
Qualifications
PhD, University of Manchester
MSc, University of Manchester
BSc, University of Manchester
Professional affiliations
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA)
Associate of AdvanceHE
Research
Marianna was awarded a Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (2020) for reflective research into the student experience and the significance of national cultures in an international institution. Following this, she became an Associate of AdvanceHE in 2024, supporting others in gaining educational qualifications at all levels up to senior management, and acting as an expert consultant for AdvanceHE, with national and international impact.
Marianna is also a mentor for the Royal Economic Society’s Women in Economics early-career scholar development programme, supporting others into academic careers in Economics. She also works in delivering excellent and accessible education to a range of audiences. This includes economic knowledge and making economic events and trends accessible to the general public. She has also worked with the BBC Women Experts programme to provide commentary to the BBC on topical economic affairs.
Areas of Research Specialisation (AOS)
Global governance and institutional development; poverty and well-being; economic communication; developments in higher education.
Teaching
Marianna has taught a wide variety of courses at Northeastern University London, including International Development, International Business, Economic Geography, and Applied Ethics. She has a particular interest in enabling students to understand their subject deeply, with consideration for its various local, global, and historical contexts. In her role as Faculty Director, she supports colleagues across the Social Sciences, including with the development of new experiential education endeavours. Recently, Marianna has led the development of the MSc Fintech Management and the MSc International Business programmes.
Prior to joining Northeastern University London, Marianna taught extensively at the University of Manchester and the University of Birmingham. She has worked in a range of environments at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and with UK, European, and overseas students.
In her career, she has lectured or tutored a wide range of subjects, including economic development, development finance, microfinance, trade, economic geography, history of economic thought, statistics, applied economics, Excel skills, quantitative methods, and microeconomics.
Northeastern University London is a charity
registered with the Charity Commission for
England and Wales (charity number 1189858).
Location
Devon House
58 St Katharine’s Way
London E1W 1LP, UK
+44 20 7637 4550
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