Members of the Department of Education and Social Justice

 

Head of Department

Professor Andrew Peterson

Professor of Character and Citizenship Education

Andrew Peterson is Professor of Character and Citizenship Education at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues. In broad terms his research focuses on the relationship between character and citizenship education, particularly the nature of civic virtues. His research has also focused on a number of themes connected to character and citizenship education, including global citizenship ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 6211
Email
a.peterson@bham.ac.uk

Academic Staff

Dr Simon Asquith

Dr Simon Asquith

Associate Professor
Programmes Director: Postgraduate programmes in Educational Leadership

Simon Asquith is Programmes Director of the MA/ PGDip Educational Leadership Programmes (including the Level 7 ‘Senior Leader Apprenticeship’ Programme).

He has taught and held leadership roles in the school sector in Leeds, Bradford and Cumbria and has lectured in teacher education and in geography and geographical and environmental education at Liverpool Hope University. He has ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 7607
Email
s.asquith@bham.ac.uk

Professor Kalwant Bhopal

Professor Kalwant Bhopal

Professor of Education and Social Justice
Director of the Centre for Research in Race & Education (CRRE)

Kalwant Bhopal is Professor of Education and Social Justice. She was appointed Professorial Research Fellow from 2017-2020. In January 2020 she became Director of the Centre for Research in Race and Education (CRRE) in the School of Education.

Kalwant’s research focuses on the achievements and experiences of minority ethnic groups in education. She has conducted ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 415 8241
Email
k.bhopal@bham.ac.uk

Professor Helen Breadmore

Professor Helen Breadmore

Professor of Literacy and Psychology in Education
School of Education Deputy Director for Research

Professor Helen Breadmore is a psychologist whose research focuses on language and literacy development. She is Deputy Head of Department and research lead for the Department of Education and Social Justice, and leads the School of Education Literacy research network.

Helen Breadmore’s research focuses on understanding the processes and skills that underpin successful reading and ...

Email
h.breadmore@bham.ac.uk

Dr Juan C Castro Alonso

Dr Juan C Castro Alonso

Assistant Professor in Educational Psychology

Juan Cristobal Castro-Alonso (Dr Cris Castro) is a Biochemist, Master’s in Communication and Education, and PhD in Education. He is principal investigator and collaborator in research projects about educational psychology, cognitive science, STEM education, and multimedia learning. He has a proven record in quantitative experimental design, data processing, and statistical analyses. Dr ...

Email
j.castroalonso@bham.ac.uk

Dr Laura D’Olimpio

Dr Laura D’Olimpio

Associate Professor of Philosophy of Education
Director of Postgraduate Research

Dr Laura D’Olimpio is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Education at the University of Birmingham, UK. Prior to taking up this position in 2019, Laura was Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at The University of Notre Dame Australia. 

Laura completed her PhD ‘The Moral Possibilities of Mass Art’ at The University of Western Australia. She is co-founder and co-editor of the ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 415 8148
Email
l.dolimpio@bham.ac.uk

Dr Laura Day Ashley

Dr Laura Day Ashley

Associate Professor of Education
Sustainability Lead for the College of Social Sciences

Laura joined the School of Education in 2011 after completing a Birmingham Research Fellowship. Prior to that she worked as a member of a team on a large-scale research programme, the National Evaluation of the Children's Fund (DfES) at the University of Birmingham. She joined the University of Birmingham from the University of Oxford where she held an ESRC research studentship and ESRC ...

Email
l.dayashley@bham.ac.uk

Dr Jane Gatley

Dr Jane Gatley

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow

Jane is a postdoctoral fellow funded by the ESRC working on the case for teaching philosophy in schools. This work is a development of her PhD research, and will include publishing a monograph based on my thesis called ‘Why Teach Philosophy in Schools: the case for philosophy on the curriculum’.

Her research falls under the heading of ‘philosophy of education’. She ...

Email
j.o.gatley@bham.ac.uk

Professor Reza Gholami

Professor Reza Gholami

Professor of Sociology of Education

Reza Gholami is Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Birmingham and the founding co-director of the Birmingham Research Group on Education Policy (BREP). He earned his PhD in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at SOAS, University of London, followed by post-doctoral research funded by the AHRC. Professor Gholami’s research is internationally recognised and ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 2638
Email
r.gholami@bham.ac.uk

Professor David Gillborn

Professor David Gillborn

Professor of Critical Race Studies
Editor-in-chief of the journal 'Race Ethnicity and Education'

David is Professor of Critical Race Studies and editor-in-chief of the journal Race Ethnicity and Education.

David’s research focuses on race inequalities in education, especially the role of racism as a changing and complex characteristic of the system. He has written 6 books and more than 180 refereed articles, chapters and reports that range from original studies in classrooms and ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 4835
Email
d.gillborn@bham.ac.uk

Dr Sarah Gillborn

Dr Sarah Gillborn

Assistant Professor in Psychology in Education

Sarah Gillborn is a Lecturer in Psychology in Education in the Department of Education and Social Justice. She is a critical psychologist interested in critical feminist and qualitative research. Sarah’s research focuses on analyses of discourse and voice, particularly in relation to public policy, in order to understand how social issues are officially constructed and re/negotiated by ...

Email
s.gillborn@bham.ac.uk

Professor Tom Harrison

Professor Tom Harrison

Professor of Education and Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor: Education Innovation
Director: Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues

Professor Tom Harrison is the Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Education Innovation at the University of Birmingham.  He is also the Director  of the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues.  Tom is an HEA Principal Fellow and National Teaching Fellow and Secretary and Trustee for the Society for Educational Studies (SES).

Tom Harrison’s ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 4812
Email
t.j.harrison@bham.ac.uk

Dr Saba Hussain

Dr Saba Hussain

Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Education and Social Justice

Saba Hussain is an Assistant Professor in Education Studies in the Department of Education and Social Justice. She holds a PhD in Sociology from University of Warwick and master’s degrees from London School of Economics (Development Studies) and Delhi University (Sociology).

Saba is a feminist Sociologist of Education with a particular interest in theorizations of social justice, ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 4849
Email
s.hussain.12@bham.ac.uk

Balwant Kaur

Assistant Professor of Race, Social Justice and Education

Balwant Kaur is Assistant Professor for Race, Social Justice and Education in the Department of Education and Social Justice.

Email
b.kaur.11@bham.ac.uk

Dr Kamran Khan

Dr Kamran Khan

Associate Professor in Language, Social Justice and Education

Kamran Khan is currently the director of the MOSAIC research group on multilingualism and an associate professor of language, social justice and education.He has been a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow and worked on ESRC (Economic, Social and Research Council), European Commission and British Academy projects. He has worked in Denmark, Spain and Japan previously. He has  also previously been ...

Email
k.khan.2@bham.ac.uk

Professor Ben Kotzee

Professor Ben Kotzee

Professor of Philosophy of Education

Ben Kotzee is a Professor of Philosophy of Education at the University of Birmingham. He works on topics in the philosophy of education and focuses on applying insights from contemporary epistemology to questions regarding intellectual development. He also has research interests in professional ethics and in professional education. Ben Kotzee is the editor of the journal Theory and Research ...

Email
h.b.kotzee@bham.ac.uk

Dr Eleni Mariou

Assistant Professor in Language Education

Eleni Mariou is the Programme Director of the MSc TESOL Education.

Before joining the School of Education in 2014, Eleni worked as a Teaching Fellow in TESOL at the University of Edinburgh, and also was an Associate Tutor on the distance-learning MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL programme at the University of Leicester for several years. Eleni has extensive experience teaching English for ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 8066
Email
e.mariou@bham.ac.uk

Professor Jane Martin

Professor Jane Martin

Professor of Social History of Education
Director, Domus Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Histories of Education and Childhood and Executive Editor of Educational Review

Jane moved to Birmingham from the Institute of Education, University of London, where she was Head of Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. She is Director of the Domus Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Histories of Education and Childhood and Executive Editor of Educational Review.

She teaches and researches on gender and history, education policy and social justice, ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 7446
Email
j.martin@bham.ac.uk

Professor Ian McGimpsey

Professor Ian McGimpsey

Professor of Education

Ian’s work is focussed on the sociological analysis of youth and youth services. His research has taken place within youth service providers, and has focussed on how policy on education, youth and localism relates to the identities and practices of youth workers and related occupational groups. Central to his work is a concern with inequality and social justice, and the role youth services ...

Telephone
Email
i.mcgimpsey.1@bham.ac.uk

Dr Valentina Migliarini

Dr Valentina Migliarini

Assistant Professor in Education Studies

Dr. Valentina Migliarini is an Assistant Professor in Education Studies in the School of Education in the Department of Education and Social Justice.

Her work, both in research and teaching, focuses on increasing access to equitable education for students from multiply marginalised communities, specifically disabled students from migrant and forced migrant backgrounds, in secondary education. ...

Email
v.migliarini@bham.ac.uk

Dr Tarek Mostafa

Dr Tarek Mostafa

Associate Professor in Education and Public Policy
Director of the BA Education and BA Education and Sociology Programmes

Tarek is a Associate Professor in Education and Public Policy at the School of Education, University of Birmingham. Previously, he was a policy analyst at the OECD directorate of Education and Skills (PISA team) and a Senior Research Associate at University College London, Institute of Education.

His research interests include education, public and social policy, assessment, equity in education, ...

Telephone
+44 1 214 143 467
Email
t.mostafa@bham.ac.uk

Professor Kevin Myers

Professor Kevin Myers

Professor in History and Education

Kevin joined the University of Birmingham in 2000. He teaches social history and education on the BA (Hons) Education programme and he is a member of the editorial boards for the journals, Education Review, History of Education and Paedagogica Historica.

His current learning and teaching role is to lead the Teachers for Educational Equityproject with partner schools and philanthropic ...

Telephone
+44 (0) 121 415 8230
Email
k.p.myers@bham.ac.uk

Dr Jawiria Naseem

Associate Professor in Education & Social Justice
Decolonisation and Internationalisation Lead

Jawiria joined the School of Education in 2017 as a Lecturer in Education. Previously, she held lectureships in Community Development at Birkbeck, University of London and in Sociology at Paris-Dauphine University. She earned her PhD in Sociology in the Department of Social Science at UCL Institute of Education. 

Jawiria is interested in cross-country comparative research examining how ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 3471
Email
j.naseem@bham.ac.uk

Dr Sian Roberts

Dr Sian Roberts

Lecturer in Education and Social Justice
Deputy Head of Department for Education and Social Justice

Siân joined the School of Education in 2016. Siân initially trained as an archivist, and worked as a senior archives practitioner in the heritage sector for several years. During this period she was involved in a number of archives and heritage learning projects, most notably the Heritage Lottery Funded Connecting Histories project and the Children’s Lives project. Before ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 7401
Email
s.roberts.2@bham.ac.uk

Dr Tonie Stolberg

Dr Tonie Stolberg

Lecturer in Science and Science Education
Welfare Officer

His current work draws on both his background in research chemistry and psychology, and new data as to what practices (philosophically, educationally, pedagogically and culturally) might best be adopted to encourage personally meaningful educational practices.

Telephone
+44 (0) 121 415 8395
Email
t.l.stolberg@bham.ac.uk

Dr Ruth Wareham

Dr Ruth Wareham

Lecturer in Philosophy of Education

Dr Ruth Wareham is a Lecturer in Philosophy of Education who joined the School of Education in September 2021. Prior to that, she was Education Campaigns Manager for Humanists UK, where she continues to work as an Education Policy Researcher.   

Ruth’s primary research interests sit at the intersection between religion and education and she previously worked as a ...

Email
r.j.wareham@bham.ac.uk

Associated Staff

Dr Bene Bassetti

Honorary Senior Research Fellow

Dr Bassetti is an applied linguist, who is researching bilingualism and second language learning. In particular, Dr Bassetti is investigating the learning and use of second language writing systems (scripts/orthographies), and bilingual cognition (language and thought in bilinguals and language learners). 

 

Email
b.bassetti@bham.ac.uk

Professor Ann-Marie Bathmaker

Emeritus Professor of Vocational and Higher Education

Ann-Marie Bathmaker joined the University of Birmingham in 2012 as Professor of Vocational and Higher Education. She started her career working in provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages, and she then worked as a local authority advisor for equal opportunities as part of the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative, before moving into higher education. Her career in higher ...

Email
a.m.bathmaker@bham.ac.uk

Dr Marion Bowl

Dr Marion Bowl

Honorary Senior Lecturer

Marion is an academic, teacher and community worker with over 40 years’ experience of developing, managing and researching adult and community education practice and policy both in the U.K. and overseas. She has held a range of management roles in the School of Education, including Head of Division, Deputy Head of Department, Director of Postgraduate Research and Director of ...

Email
m.bowl.1@bham.ac.uk

Professor Lynn Davies

Professor Lynn Davies

Emeritus Professor of International Education

Lynn Davies is Emeritus Professor of International Education in the School of Education at the University of Birmingham. 

Her background is in teaching at primary, secondary and teacher education levels, in Mauritius and Malaysia as well as UK.  Research and consultancy interests lie in the broad field of education governance and equity, but with a particular focus on conflict, ...

Email
l.davies@bham.ac.uk

Professor Peter Davies

Professor Peter Davies

Emeritus Professor of Education Policy Research

Following experience as a head of department in a secondary school, Peter joined the School of Education at the University of Manchester where he worked in teacher education and the development of assessments for the National Curriculum. Joining the Department of Economics at Staffordshire University in 1994 he established and led the Institute for Education Policy Research. He moved to the ...

Email
p.davies.1@bham.ac.uk

Professor Ian Grosvenor

Professor Ian Grosvenor

Emeritus Professor of Urban Education History
Director of the Voices of War & Peace Centre

Ian Grosvenor is Professor of Urban Educational History. He is author of numerous articles and books on racism, education and identity, the visual in educational research, the material culture of education and the history of urban education. Books include, Assimilating Identities. Racism and Education in Post 1945 Britain (1997), Silences and Images. The Social History of the Classroom (1999) ...

Email
i.d.grosvenor@bham.ac.uk

Professor Clive Harber

Professor Clive Harber

Emeritus Professor of International Education

Clive Harber is Emeritus Professor of International Education. He was formerly a social science teacher in secondary schools and an initial teacher educator.

From 1995-9, he was head of the School of Education at the then University of Natal, South Africa. He was also head of the School of Education, University of Birmingham from 2003-2006. He has recently completed books on education, ...

Email
c.r.harber@bham.ac.uk

Professor Marilyn Martin-Jones

Professor Marilyn Martin-Jones

Emeritus Professor

Marilyn Martin-Jones is Emeritus Professor and former Director of the MOSAIC Centre for Research on Multilingualism. She has been involved in research on bilingualism and multilingualism in different regions of Britain for thirty years. She has undertaken three broad types of research: (1.) research on the use of multilingual resources in face-to-face interaction; (2.) research on multilingual ...

Email
m.martinjones@bham.ac.uk

Professor Ruth Watts

Professor Ruth Watts

Emeritus Professor of History of Education

Ruth Watts is Emeritus Professor of History of Education at the University of Birmingham. Her research interests are in the history of education and gender and she has published much on these, her first book being Gender, Power and the Unitarians in England, 1760-1860 (Longman, 1997) and her latest being Women in Science: A Social and Cultural History(Routledge, 2007). She is on the Board of ...

Email
r.e.watts@bham.ac.uk

Department Administrator

Email: educationschooladmin@contacts.bham.ac.uk