Sociocultural Anthropologist
University of PortsmouthPhD Scholar
Harvard UniversityA.B. in Anthropology ’19 Cum LaudeA.M. in Anthropology ’24
Cambridge, Massachusetts
I study how stories shape the spaces we inhabit—and how people transform them through movement, meaning, and embodied participation.
Margaret-Ann Simonetta is a sociocultural anthropologist, Harvard lecturer, researcher, and author whose scholarship explores the intersections of popular culture, fandom, tourism, and embodied experience. Holding two degrees from Harvard University (A.B. ’19, A.M. Anthropology ’24), her current doctoral research explores how Harry Potter fans transform fictional worlds into lived cultural experiences through fan-induced tourism, placemaking, and embodied participation.
Alongside her academic work, Simonetta is a leader in oncology advocacy, serving as President of the GI Cancers Alliance and Chief Communications Officer for The Raymond Foundation, where she conducts and publishes research on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and quality of life in gastrointestinal oncology.
Outside academia and advocacy, Simonetta is an IRONMAN triathlete, avid traveler, and lifelong enthusiast of the places, stories, and communities that make culture come alive—often accompanied by her Bernese Mountain Dog, Bunny-Bear, and a cup of Starbucks in hand.
Lecturer, Harvard University
Chief Communications Officer, The Raymond Foundation
President, GI Cancers Alliance
PhD Scholar, University of Portsmouth
Fan-induced tourism, placemaking and embodiment
My master's thesis, on why Harry Potter fans travel from around the world to The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour London. Through participant observation and fan interviews, it shows how the tour works as a sentimental destination that gives fans embodied, placemaking experiences found nowhere else.
Gastrointestinal cancers account for one in four cancer cases worldwide and one in three cancer deaths. This study asked patients what the experience actually costs them — the barriers, the symptom burden, the decisions made without them.
Every March, one campus tradition produces costuming, chants, dorm rivalry and a full media cycle in about eighteen hours. Read as fandom rather than school spirit, it looks less like nostalgia and more like collective effervescence on schedule.