Title: Becoming "Relevant": An Ethnograhy of Job Search Experinces among Graduates in Ghana
Expected Completion Date: September 2026
PhD Supervisor: Anna-Riikkka Kauppinen
Her current doctoral research uses anthropological and sociological concepts like aspiration, job search, waiting, and cruel optimism to ethnographically explore the expectations, experiences, and transition to the labour market of recent Ghanaian graduates. The goal is to gain a more nuanced understanding of life after school among young professionals as they interact with market demands, personal and societal expectations.
Susanna Adjei Arthur is a PhD candidate at the Geneva Graduate Institute whose research focuses on ethnographically understanding labour market expectations and job search experiences of graduates in Ghana. The study engages with concepts and methods from both Anthropology and Sociology. She has her Bachelor and Master of Philosophy degrees in Sociology and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Anthropology. She has nearly 6 years of lecturing and research experience working as a Research Fellow at the University of Professional Studies, Accra and Adjunct Lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Journalism. She has served as a leader at various levels, most recently as the Co-Head of the TEDx Communication Team and as the International Labour Organization's creative partner on the C4SI project at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Throughout her academic career, She has gravitated toward research in the informal sector, organizational justice, labour market dynamics and youth and employment. She is an affiliate of the African Center for Strategic Studies under the University of Defense in Washington, DC. In her spare time, she enjoys broadening knowledge by reading work-related books and inspiring herself through singing. Her blend of technical expertise, leadership skills and desire to innovate makes an asset to any organization.
FERIS foundation (Fondation pour l’étude des relations internationales en Suisse