Dr Anne Danby, College of Science and Engineering, University of Derby

Head of Environmental Sciences, College of Science and Engineering

Dr Anne Danby is Head of Environmental Sciences at the University of Derby, drawing on a varied career encompassing teaching, regulation, curriculum design, quality, field expeditions, mycology and ecological consultancy in Africa, South America and Europe. She has worked at the Open University and the University of Huddersfield, who like Derby show the transformative power of Higher Education in social mobility and widening participation. Anne has been involved with NUCCAT for many years, and has worked on micro-credentials with UNESCO and the QAA.
Anne is committed to applied learning and research, working with external organisations to bring the workplace into the classroom, and facilitating her team to engage in KTPs, consultancies and civic projects with global businesses through to local CICs.

Sue Blackett, Henley Business School, University of Reading

Programme Director of BSc Accounting & Finance; Lecturer in Accounting

Sue Blackett is a lecturer in accounting at Henley Business School, University of Reading. She works with postgraduate and undergraduate students and is the Programme Director for the BSc Accounting & Finance programme. She leads a variety of accounting subjects such as Accounting Information Systems, Management Accounting: Theory & Practice and Business in Practice: Accounting for Managers. Professional interests include widening accessibility, curriculum and assessment design in accounting education.

Paola Madini, University of Kent

Lecturer in Accounting

Paola is a lecturer in accounting at Kent Business School. She has a PhD in business administration and management from Bocconi University, with a specialisation in accounting and control. She holds a PGCHE from the University of Kent and is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Previously, she has been Assistant Professor in management accounting and control at ESADE, researcher at SDA Bocconi School of Management and visiting PhD candidate at RSM, Erasmus University.

Simon Pratt Adams, Anglia Ruskin University

Associate Professor - Acting Director, Centre for Innovation in Higher Education

Simon is an Associate Professor in Academic Development and Acting Director of a Centre researching Innovative and Transformative Higher Education. He is an expert in developing communities of practice in Pedagogic Research, building innovative pedagogic research communities to support university teaching and research strategies. He has an established national reputation as an external consultant advisor in Learning and Teaching. His work reflects best practice and research in the UK HE sector, promoting a pedagogical approach founded on active learning and stakeholder engagement. Previous roles in higher education have included Deputy Dean for international and external income, Head of Department of Education, Head of Teacher Education, Director of Research, Director of Masters Programmes, Learning, Teaching and Quality Adviser and Course Leader. He has taught a wide range of education courses in school leadership and management, professional development of teachers, and sociology of education. His involvement and understanding of HE are extensive. He has been an external examiner at six institutions. He strongly advocates student-centred and active/inclusive learning that acknowledges student experience and engagement as the essential elements of any learning experience.

Dr Theo Ammari, University of Sunderland in London

Senior Lecturer in Academic Development lead on Assessment

Dr Theo Ammari is a Senior Lecturer with nearly 25 years of international experience in senior management and lecturing in higher education. Since 2015, he has been involved with several strategic consultancy projects inside and outside the UK. He is co-founder of Coventry University Education for Sustainable Development group and created a four-step model to embed the 17 sustainable development goals into the university curriculum. He is also a member of the Sunderland University education for sustainable development working group, planning training and support material for academic staff in their teaching, learning, and assessment design using real-world problem/project-based activities. He has a BSc and an MSc in Pure Mathematics and a PhD in Mathematics Education from Warwick University.

Prof. Diana Laurillard, UCL

Professor of Learning with Digital Technology, UCL Knowledge Lab

Prof Diana Laurillard is Professor of Learning with Digital Technology at UCL Knowledge Lab, University College London. Formerly Head of the e-Learning Strategy Unit at the government’s Department for Education and Skills, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Learning Technology and Teaching at the Open University, she has served on the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for IT in Education, Moscow, the Visiting Committee on IT, Harvard University, and currently Mosaik Education. She is researching ‘The Transformational Potential of MOOCs’ (Centre for Global HE, UCL-IOE), ‘Future Education’ (RELIEF Centre, UCL-IGP), and the Learning Designer tool. She leads the Blended and Online Learning Design course, free and open to all. She has received the Lifetime Contribution Award, E-Assessment Association, Honorary Life Membership for the Association for Learning Technology and Club Fondation Universitaire Belgium, and Honorary Fellow UCL. She was named as being in the top 2% of world scientists (Stanford University Jan 2022). She has recently published Teaching as a Design Science (Routledge).

Dr Alexandra Mihai, Maastricht University

Assistant Professor - Innovation in Higher Education

Dr. Alexandra Mihai is Assistant Professor of Innovation in Higher Education in the Department of Educational Research and Development, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University. Previously she worked as Learning Designer at University College London (UCL), Curriculum Designer at the Institute of European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and led the Centre for Teaching Innovations at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. Alexandra has a strong background in online learning and learning design and a passion for faculty professional development. In her PhD she analysed in how far technology is used in teaching practices at European universities. She is also a certified UX designer, with a keen interest in learning experience design. At Maastricht University she is part of the Learning Academy, where she focuses on technology-enhanced course and curriculum design as well as innovation projects to enrich students’ learning experience. Alexandra strongly believes in the power of communities and peer support in educational development and sees herself as a connector, curator and facilitator. You can read some of her reflections and resources on teaching and learning here.

Dominik Lukes, University of Oxford

Assistive Technology Officer

Dominik Lukeš is the Assistive Technology Officer at the Centre for Teaching and Learning, University of Oxford. His main focus is academic productivity, especially reading and writing. He has started the Reading and Writing Innovation Lab that collects and reviews devices and applications that support reading and writing. He runs regular workshops on reading and writing tools for students and faculty. Prior to joining the University of Oxford, he worked as the Education and Technology Specialist for Dyslexia Action. He has also worked as a language and culture training advisor for the US Peace Corps in over 15 countries. His academic interest is in linguistics, language education, metaphor, and discourse analysis. He has published in academic journal, edited several academic volumes and translated both academic and non-adamic texts between Czech and English. He blogs on MetaphorHacker.net.

Dr Wayne Turnbull, Liverpool John Moores University

Researcher & Director of NUCCAT

Dr Wayne Turnbull is a researcher in the History department of Liverpool John Moores University. With over a quarter of a century of experience in the UKHE sector, he is an authority on higher education policy in which capacity he advises a range of sector bodies. He is a published author ('A Brief History of Credit in UK Higher Education: Laying Siege to the Ivory Tower'), editor ('Widening Access to Higher Education in The UK: Developments and Approaches Using Credit Accumulation and Transfer', with Harvey Woolf) and contributor ('Maximising the use of institutional data' with Yorke & Hoekstra in 'Stepping up to the Second Year at University Academic, psychological and social dimensions') of a range of publications relating to UK Higher Education. Throughout his career and in his research he is interested in (and motivated by) widening access to HE for under-represented groups and in securing a level playing-field for all students.

Neils Pedersen, Manchester Metropolitan

Senior Lecturer

Niels Pedersen is a Chartered Accountant and Senior Lecturer on Manchester Metropolitan University’s MSc Financial Technology degree. Before entering academia, he worked at PwC and the Prudential Regulation Authority. In addition to his university teaching, Niels conducts training seminars on technology-related topics in the corporate sphere and is a published author in Financial Technology. His thoughts have also been featured in Newsweek, the Financial Times, and on BBC Radio Scotland.

Dr Sandra Appiah, Middlesex University

Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry

Dr Sandra Appiah is an experienced Senior Lecturer with over 14 years in teaching biochemistry and pharmacognosy in Universities. She co-leads a biosensor research group dedicated to developing novel biosensors for the early detection of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and myocardial infarction. Her research extends to the study of aberrant signalling pathways involved in leukaemia and Alzheimer's disease with drug combinations designed to modulate different cell death processes.

Prof. Liz Bacon, Abertay University

Principal and Vice-Chancellor

Professor Bacon is a National Teaching Fellow, a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Chartered Engineer, Chartered Scientist and a Chartered IT Professional. She is also the President of The European Quality Assurance Network for Informatics Education; a former President of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT; a Past Chair of both the BCS Academy of Computing and the Council of Professors and Heads of Computing national committee; and a Trustee of Bletchley Park Trust. An international researcher in computer science, with over 100 refereed publications, Professor Bacon is a worldwide speaker on a range of topics, including preparing staff and students for the fourth industrial revolution’s impact on teaching, learning and work, and improving diversity and participation in STEM, particularly among women and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Throughout her career, she has worked to improve quality and standards in higher education, including a focus on degree accreditation standards in computer science both in the UK and internationally.

Dr Yaz Osho, University of Westminster

Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the University of Westminster

Dr Yaz Osho obtained her PhD at Goldsmiths College, University of London in 2007. Since then, she has worked at a range of universities, such as Kings’ College, University of London, Sussex University, Middlesex University and the University of East London. She is an interdisciplinary academic, having lectured in Sociology, Media and Cultural Studies and Entrepreneurship. Throughout her career, she has remained committed to social justice with her research interests focusing centrally on researching race and ethnicity. Her current research projects include studies into the BAME attainment gap; inclusive teaching and learning practices in higher education; strategies to engage Black widening participation learners; strategies of survival for racially minoritised academics within higher education and the impacts of imposter syndrome for women academics. Yaz is also the founder of BAMEWA (Black, Asian and Minoritised Ethnic Women in Academia Support Network) and BAN (Black Academic Network). Both Networks aim to support racially minoritised academics working within higher education by providing them with peer support, opportunities for networking and advocacy. Yaz is a certified coach and has worked as a volunteer group mentor for undergraduate students.

Alex Janes, University of Exeter Business School

Senior Lecturer in Strategy

Alex Janes has been a reviewer and writer of textbooks and study guides for over 15 years. He is the lead European author of Crafting and Executing Strategy’s International edition and has previously written three of the official study guides for the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s (CIM) professional qualifications. He has had 14 case studies published on a wide range of companies, from Italian coffee firm, Lavazza, to Swedish music streaming giant, Spotify. Following a successful career in marketing and senior management, Alex became a full-time academic in 2009, joining the Business School at the University of Exeter. He has taught marketing and strategic management since 2003, holding visiting posts at the University of Plymouth, Imperial College Business School, the Open University, and Stockholm School of Economics. Alex was Director of Education for Management programmes at Exeter from 2010-2013 and has led capstone undergraduate and postgraduate Strategy modules for over 10 years. He was a Senior Examiner and then the Level Verifier for the CIM’s Postgraduate Professional Diploma from 2013-2016. Alex is currently a member of the University of Exeter’s Senate having been elected to this role in 2018.

Sally Dibb, Coventry University

Research Professor of Marketing and Society

Sally Dibb is Research Professor of Marketing and Society in the Centre for Business in Society at Coventry University. Previously she was Director of the Institute for Social Marketing at the Open University, before which she was Associate Dean at Warwick Business School. She achieved her PhD in consumer behaviour from the University of Warwick. Sally served as Deputy Chair of the REF2021 Business and Management panel, having previously been an Output Assessor on the REF2014 panel. She is a member of the ESRC peer review college, for Horizon 2020, the Australian Research Council and the Canadian Research Council, and was an international panel member of the recent SAMEVAL Norwegian Research Council national evaluation of research. Sally recently received the Academy of Marketing Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to marketing education.

Sheila Malone, University of Galway

Lecturer

Sheila is a Lecturer in Marketing and Associate Head for Learning, Teaching and Assessment at the University of Galway, Ireland, specialising in the areas of Consumer Behaviour, Ethical Consumption, Services Marketing Theory,
Tourism Marketing, Well-being and Qualitative Research Methods.  Sheila's research has been published in academic journals such as the Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research, Journal of Business Research, and Marketing Theory and press/media outlets such as Sky News, BBC Radio 4, Irish Times, Irish Independent, USA Northern California, Marketing Business Week, thedrum.com, Snappii, and Computer Weekly among others.  As Associate Head for Learning, Teaching, and Assessment, Sheila has a particular interest in embedding sustainability into the curriculum. 

Dominic Sagoe, University of Bergen, Norway

Professor of Psychology

Dominic Sagoe is a Professor of Psychology at the Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Norway. He is a member of the Addiction Research Group and founding member of the Norwegian Competence Centre for Gambling and Gaming Problems at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen. Dominic is also founder and leader of the Human Enhancement and Body Image Lab (HEBI Lab) at the University of Bergen, and a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Doping Prevalence Expert Group. He obtained a PhD in Psychology from the University of Bergen in 2015. His research specialization is epidemiological and psychosocial aspects of human enhancement drug use, particularly androgens, and body image as well as gambling. Dominic has numerous publications and collaborations with many academics, researchers, policymakers, and health professionals globally.

Charlotte Pennington, Aston University

Lecturer in Psychology

Dr Charlotte Pennington is a Lecturer in Psychology at Aston University, Birmingham. Her research-led teaching spans the areas of experimental social psychology, health, research methods and statistics. Charlotte is an expert in Open Science and is an author of the Open University Press book titled: “A student’s guide to open science: How the replication crisis can reform psychology”.