London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine homepage

Dr

Isabelle Pearson

Research Fellow

Global Health and Development

Orcid identifier0000-0001-8857-5703
  • Research Fellow
    Global Health and Development

BIO

I am a social epidemiologist working at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, where my research focuses on adolescent wellbeing, gender-based violence, migration, labour, and health in conflict-affected and low-resource settings. My work uses participatory and feminist methodologies to centre the lived experiences of adolescent girls and young women, particularly those in precarious or hidden forms of labour such as child domestic work. I have worked on mixed-methods studies across Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Myanmar and Indonesia.

Alongside this, my research on gender-based violence examines the intersections between violence against children and violence against women, as well as the links between violence, climate change, and conflict. I am currently working as part of the Invisible Girls research programme, which explores the drivers, risks and protective factors surrounding child domestic work in Southeast Asia. This programme is contributing to international measurement tools, including the ILO’s Labour Force Survey module on child labour, and shaping research and programming priorities among global anti-trafficking actors such as the Freedom Fund.

I recently completed my PhD at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (July 2025), which explored adolescent girls’ wellbeing in conflict-affected regions of Myanmar, using a capabilities-informed, mixed-methods approach and participatory research with peer-researchers. My thesis examined how structural violence, conflict, and gender norms shape adolescents’ mental health, social support, and future aspirations.

Prior to, and alongsid my PhD, I have worked on a range of global research projects, including with International Labour Organization, UNFPA and UNICEF Innocenti. I hold an MSc in Public Health from LSHTM and a BSc in Biology from Imperial College London.

LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE APPOINTMENTS

  • Research Fellow
    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Global Health and Development, London, United Kingdom1 Jun 2025 - present
  • Research Fellow
    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Global Health and Development, London, United Kingdom2 Jan 2020 - 30 Sep 2021

NON-ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Public Health Consultant
    Freelance, Global1 Jul 2023 - present
  • Analyst
    Costello Medical Consulting (United Kingdom), Cambridge, United Kingdom1 Sep 2019 - 1 Jan 2020
  • Vaccine Tracking Officer
    Public Health England, London, United Kingdom2 Jan 2018 - 1 Sep 2019

DEGREES

  • PhD Public Health and Policy
    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom1 Sep 2021 - 25 Jul 2025
  • MSc Public Health
    London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom1 Oct 2017 - 1 Sep 2018
  • BSc Biology
    Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom1 Sep 2013 - 1 Jul 2016

RESEARCH CENTRES

  • Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre

REGIONS & COUNTRIES

  • Indonesia
  • Myanmar
  • East Asia & Pacific (all income levels)
  • Europe & Central Asia (all income levels)
  • Nigeria
  • South Asia
  • Sub-Saharan Africa (all income levels)
  • United Kingdom

TOPICS & DISCIPLINES