Profile

Biography

BA in History (University of Barcelona), MA in Social Research Methods (Durham), PhD (Durham)

I am currently working as a Research Associate in Higher Education, focusing on a myriad of topics ranging from international student mobility to progression to postgraduate study. My previous academic and consulting experience includes working on exploring the potential of Complexity Theory in Archaeology, investigating the effects of performance-based funding mechanisms in Italian higher education; and the relationship between international student recruitment and institutional hierarchies in UK higher education. 

Career

I started my work on topics related to higher education during my MA thesis, carrying on my interest in the field throughout my PhD at Durham University’s Department of Sociology. I joined the Department of Education in 2018.

Departmental roles

• Research Associate in Higher Education

Research

Overview

My main research interests are the analysis of higher education systems, how they interact with wider social issues –such as socioeconomic inequalities and the labour market– and the design and implementation of policies in higher education informed by free-market ideologies. I have a mixed-methods background. I am particularly interested in using case-based methods, such as cluster analysis or Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA).

Projects

I am currently working with Professor Paul Wakeling on understanding the effects of tuition fee changes in Britain on the mobility of European Union students to the UK; and the relationship between students’ social class, attainment, subject area and university attended during their undergraduate studies, and the institutions they carry out their postgraduate studies. 

Research group(s)

• Centre for Research on Education and Social Justice (CRESJ)

Grants

• 2015-2018 ESRC Doctoral Studentship, Durham University. Main supervisor: Professor Vikki Boliver

Supervision

I supervise undergraduate dissertations on topics around Social Justice and Education.

External activities

Memberships

• British Sociological Association (BSA)
• Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE)