I am a Senior Lecturer in International and Comparative Education at the University of Manchester, with over 15 years of professional experience in higher education in the UK and internationally.

I primarily research how schools and teachers navigate politically controversial issues, particularly in divided, conflict-affected and illiberal societies. My work examines what happens when questions of democracy, freedom of expression, identity and human rights enter the classroom. My research draws on cases including Northern Ireland, Israel, Hong Kong, Thailand and other politically contested contexts.

I am also interested in migration and education, as well as using creative research methods, such as picturebooks, photography and film-making.

I am especially committed to finding ways to make research and learning environments inclusive of a range of identities and perspectives, including those that are sensitive or controversial, and how students, ecucators and researchers can be involved in creating such environments.

Research and Scholarship

I have completed funded research in England, South Africa, Northern Ireland, Israel, Canada, Kenya, Hong Kong and Thailand. This has focused on two strands: citizenship education, and migration and education. I have worked as an academic in the UK, Hong Kong, Mainland China and Thailand, and as a teacher in Russia. I regularly present at international conferences and I have written and peer reviewed for publications including Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, Children’s Geographies, Literacy and BERA Research Intelligence. I have strong research networks internationally, as the Co-convenor for the British Education Research Association Special Interest Group on Comparative and International Education and a founding member of the International Association for Human Rights Education. Finally, I am an Editorial Board Member of Compare: A Journal of Comparative and Journal of Human Rights and Peace Studies, and a former Editor of Human Rights Education Review.

Teaching and Supervision

I also love teaching and student supervision. I am committed to inclusive, student-centred and rights-respecting teaching and supervision in universities internationally. I have extensive experience as a programme leader and a module leader and designer, and a postgraduate research supervisor, as well as a personal tutor/academic advisor to students from a diverse range of backgrounds. I have taught across multiple undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the field of education in the UK and overseas. At University of Manchester, I co-teach and co-lead large modules on the MA International Education that focus on research methods, concepts and practices in international education, and equality, diversity and inclusion, largely designing my own materials and drawing on my own research. I am also the Pathway Lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on the MA International Education. Furthermore, I am an external examiner for Masters programmes in the UK.

I very much welcome doctoral students who are interested in taking a critical and politically-aware approach to my research interests on citizenship education and migration and education. If you would like to study towards a PhD with me, please email me directly and also consult the Faculty of Humanities website for information on how to write a PhD proposal and apply to Manchester, and where to look for funding for your studies.

Consultancy, Service and Activism

I also work as an education research and training consultant. This work has included commissions to design and deliver training in writing for publication for displaced scholars, and for displaced women in accessing the UK job market for the non-profit London Institute of Social Studies. It has also involved designing and delivering training in publishing and presenting at international conferences for early career researchers in South-east Asia, and research consultancy on English language teaching projects for British Council Thailand. Please contact me for more information on how to hire me as a consultant through University of Manchester.

I am the Director of a non-profit called Milk Tea Education, an international collective committed to working for human rights and education in Southeast Asia through scholar-activism. Please see our website for more details and teaching materials: https://www.milkteaeducation.org/

Expertise

I can offer the following expertise in research, PhD supervision, and consultancy/training: 

Expertise in topics: citizenship education, political/national education, migration and education, primary education, secondary education, education rights, human rights education, educational activism/protest, education in countries affected by conflict or social unrest.

Expertise in methods: qualitative methods, creative methods, participatory methods, picturebooks/graphic novels, photography, film-making

Expertise in training: writing for publication, presenting at conferences, early career researcher training, designing research grant proposals, inclusive teaching in higher education, accessing the academic job market, employability in the UK, teacher training for working with migrant learners and their parents

Expertise in countries and contexts: Thailand, Hong Kong, China, South Africa, Kenya, Israel, England, Northern Ireland

Co-convenor of Special Interest Group on Comparative and International Education, British Education Research Association. 2022—ongoing.

Editorial Board Member, Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education. 2022—ongoing.

Editorial Board Member, Journal of Human Rights and Peace Studies. 2023—ongoing.

Sub-theme Co-convenor ('Education, conflict and displacement within and across borders'), British Association for International and Comparative Education Conference 2024.

Founding Member and Steering Committee Member, International Association of Human Rights Education. 2023—2025.

Editor, Human Rights Education Review. 2021—2026.

International Development Peer Review College member, UK Research and Innovation. 2018—ongoing.

Churchill Fellow. 2017—ongoing.

Member of the Board of Governors, Little London Academy Primary School, Leeds. 2022-present.

Member of the Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team (School of Environment, Education and Development). 2024-ongoing.

I currently supervise the following PhD researchers:

Gideon Olanrewaju, Thesis title: Can technology be used to transform professional development for refugee teachers? A critical exploration of the complexities of EdTech development and use across refugee contexts in Africa. (University of Manchester)

Zhana Goginashvili, Thesis title: Bringing SEN Inclusion: Lessons from English Primary Education to Guide Georgia’s Pedagogical Strategy. (International Black Sea University, Georgia)

I have supervised the following PhD research projects to completion:

Yaqiao Liu, Thesis title: Exploring Global Citizenship Education in Study Abroad Programs in the Internationalization of Higher Education in China. (University of Manchester)

Sizhuo Yang, Thesis title: Cultural Responsiveness in Postgraduate Students of an English Teacher Education Program in China (Mahidol University, Thailand)

Elif Erguvan, Thesis title: Career Development Strategies: A Conceptual Framework for Lifelong Learning Policies at Georgian Universities. (International Black Sea University, Georgia)