Lara Morcillo is a Social Educator and holds a Master''s degree in Social Policy, Labour and Welfare from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). She recently earned her PhD in Education from the University of Girona, with International Distinction and the highest honours (Cum Laude). Her doctoral dissertation, entitled La participació juvenil des de la perspectiva de les persones joves: Una aproximació qualitativa als relats, significats i experiències des de la pedagogia social crítica (Youth Participation from Young People''s Perspectives: A Qualitative Approach to Narratives, Meanings and Experiences from Critical Social Pedagogy), was supervised by Dr. Pere Soler and Dr. Anna Planas. The research was carried out within the Department of Pedagogy at the Faculty of Education and Psychology, where she has also been a lecturer and researcher since 2021.
Her main research interests include youth participation and empowerment, community development, and social and educational policies aimed at reducing social inequalities. In 2024, she completed an international research stay at the School of Education of the University of Glasgow, specifically within the People, Place and Social Change (PPSC) research group, under the supervision of Dr. Louise Sheridan. She is a member of Liberi: Grup de recerca en Infància, Joventut i Comunitat (GRHCS110) at the University of Girona. She has participated in several national and international research projects, including: Learning through Young People''s Social Participation and Its Contribution to Youth Empowerment in Youth Trajectories – 4HEBE (2024–2027); Supporting Professionals and Academics for Community Engagement in Higher Education (SPACE), a European project (2023–2026); Participation of People in the Network of Social Services and Socio-Educational and Community Intervention Organisations (CoParticipa), a European project (2023–2026); and HEBE Project. Youth Empowerment in the Community: Case Study Analysis across Three Communities. University of Girona (2021–2024).
She also contributed to the design and development of the Local Community-Based Plan for the Prevention of School Absenteeism in El Prat de Llobregat. Previously, she worked as a social educator in socio-educational settings and educational centres within the juvenile justice system. She also worked as a research assistant in the Research Group on Education for an Efficient and Healthy Voice (EVES) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).