Professor Tom Harrison

• PhD, School of Education, University of Birmingham
• Principle Fellow, HEA
• National Teaching Fellow
• PGCert in Academic Practice 

Professor Tom Harrison has spent most of his career working in higher education and the not for profit sectors running educational programmes. Most recently Tom has managed projects on behalf of the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, School of Education and the University of Birmingham that have had both a national and international impact. He founded and was the Programme Director for six years of the MA in Character Education.  He also co-founded the Association for Character Education and the European Character Virtues Association.  In recent years Tom has been PI on projects funded by the Nuffield Foundation, Department for Education, Templeton World Charity Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. 

Previous to joining the University, Tom worked for a number of charities and ran character education and citizenship education programmes. 

MA Character Education 

Tom supervises a number of students and his research interests include:

• Character
• Virtue
• Citizenship
• Cyber-phronesis
• Youth social action

PhD title

The Influence of the Internet on the character virtues of 11-14 year olds in England. 

Current Research

• Principle Investigator – Newswise in Primary Education (Funded by the Nuffield Foundation)
• Principle Investigator – GICD Character Education Platform (Funded by the TWCF)

Previous Research

• Principle Investigator – Teaching Character Through Subjects (Funded by the Department for Education)
• Principle Investigator – Cultivating Cyber-wisdom in Children and Young People
• Principle Investigator – Teaching Videos in Distance Learning
• Principle Investigator – Teaching Character, University of Birmingham. (Funded by the department of Education)
• Co-Principle Investigator -  Habits of Service 
• Co-Principle Investigator - Character, Practical Wisdom and Professional Education
• 2015 - Principle Investigator – Building Character Through Youth Social Action - University of Birmingham 
• 2015 - Principle Investigator –  - University of Birmingham 
• 2012 - Co-Principal investigator, Knightly Virtues, University of Birmingham
• 2011 - Co-Principal Investigator, My Character Project, University of Birmingham 
• 2009- 2011 Programme Director, Engaged Project, University of Cambridge
• 2009 - Co-Principal Investigator, Global Citizens, VESL 

Host of the Conversations on Character Podcast

UK National Board Member for Educational Review

Grant reviewer for Newton Fund, John Templeton Foundation and Templeton World Charity Foundation

Secretary and Trustee – Association of Character Education (ACE) 

Books editor for the British Journal for Educational Studies. (BJES) 

Secretary and Trustee – Society for Educational Studies 

National Teaching Fellow – 2018

Birmingham Education Fellow – 2017

Principle Fellow – Higher Education Futures Institute 

Fellow – Higher Education Futures Institute (HEFi)

Academic Lead – What is Character; Virtue Ethics in Education MOOC

Governor – Bonsall Primary School