D.Phil, Educational Studies; MSc, Educational Research Methodology; MA (Hons), Social Anthropology

Research and Projects Interests

My research to date has centred on educational issues for people at risk of social exclusion in Indian and British contexts. In particular, my work has explored relationships between marginalised and mainstream communities in educational settings through studies of innovative practice, such as peer education, the use of interactive theatre, and a phenomenon that I have termed ‘private school outreach’ in India (i.e. private schools that extend their services to provide education to children living locally who are out-of-school). Other research interests include: government, private and voluntary sector partnership working in education; institutional social responsibility; social, political and cultural histories of education; and international, comparative and anthropological approaches to the study of education, with a particular emphasis on theory and method. Previously I have worked at the University of Birmingham on the National Evaluation of the Children's Fund drawing upon Activity Theory to build conceptual models of effective partnership working in participative ways for the delivery of preventative services for children and young people. Prior to that I was an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford.

Research Grants and Awards

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2003-2004
British Academy Overseas Conference Grant, 2004
BAICE Edmund King Scholarship, 2003
BERA Conference Bursary, 2002
Jubilee Scholarship, St. Hugh’s College, Oxford, 2002
Sir Halley Stewart Trust Social and Educational Grant, 2002
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (UK) and Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Rajiv Gandhi Travelling Scholarship, 2001
Melanie Ackroyd Trust Travel Scholarship, 2000
ESRC Research Studentship, 1999-2002

Other Professional Activities

Convenor of a themed section entitled, ‘Reconceptualising Private Sector Contributions to Learning and Livelihood’ at the UKFIET Oxford International Conference on Education and Development 2005.

International Advisory Committee Member of the online journal, Research in Comparative and International Education.

Article Referee for the Journal of Moral Education.

Teaching Interests

I supervise postgraduate student research dissertations on the International Management and Policy programme and have contributed to teaching the Educational Innovation and Curriculum in an International Context module.

Publications [pdf]