SRHE Accolades are range of awards recognising the contributions of our members to the field of Higher Education, to the academic community, and to SRHE itself. These awards, which are in their first year, recognise a range of exemplary work by members at multiple career stages and in a variety of professional roles.
Accolade Recipients 2024
We are delighted to award the following SRHE Accolade across the categories of Contribution to the field and Academic citizenship/services to the academic community.
Dr Patricia Kennon is Associate Professor in children’s and young-adult literature and youth culture at the School of Education, Maynooth University, Ireland. She has a BA in Psychology, another BA – in English Literature – and a two-year research MLitt in English Literature from University College Dublin (I was an occasional lecturer there during my MLitt). She was awarded an international Chevening Scholarship (recognising outstanding emerging leaders), undertook her PhD in the Department of English, University of Birmingham, and was a fixed-term lecturer there. She was also a Visiting Fellow for a year at the University of Sydney, and then moved into teacher education as subject lead in English Studies at the Froebel College of Education, Dublin. In 2013, the College became a new academic Department in Maynooth University (the first time an Irish teacher-education College fully integrated into a university) and she has been at Maynooth University since 2013.
Dr Jenna Mittelmeier is Senior Lecturer in International Education at the University of Manchester. Her research focuses broadly on the internationalisation of higher education and more specifically on the treatment of international students. Her work seeks to disrupt prominent deficit narratives in research and practice with international students through criticality of existing structural inequalities that influence their experiences. Jenna is the lead co-editor of the recently published book Research with International Students: Critical Conceptual and Methodological Considerations. She contributes to developing greater criticality in this research area as co-founder and co-organiser of the Research with International Students Network and the Internationalisation Practitioner Network. More details are available at: https://researchintlstudents.com/
Dr Michelle Morgan is Dean of Students at the University of East London. Michelle is extensively published in the area of supporting student diversity and improving the student learning experience at undergraduate and postgraduate taught level in, through and out of the student study journey. Her two edited books that revolve around her Student Experience Transitions Model (SET) are designed to help academic and professional service colleagues support students. She has developed a free portal for staff which provides a range of information and links for anyone interested in improving the student experience in higher education www.improvingthestudentexperience.com
During her varied career, Michelle has been a faculty manager, lecturer, researcher and academic manager. She describes herself as a ‘Third Space Integrated Student Experience Practitioner’ who develops initiatives based on pragmatic and practical research. Michelle has over 50 publications and has presented over 100 national and international conference papers (including 60 keynotes and 40 invited papers). She co-wrote and co-presented a 5 part Radio series for BBC China in 2011 on the student learning experience.
Michelle was creator and PI/Project Lead of an innovative, £2.7 million, 11 university collaborative HEFCE grant, looking at the study expectations and attitudes of postgraduate taught (PGT) students. The project report received praise from across the sector including UKCGE, OFFA, the HEA and the Engineering Professor’s Council. Michelle is a Principal Fellow of the HEA, Fellow of the AUA , an elected council member of UKCGE and for a second year, a judge on The Guardian University awards panel. She is an NTF Reviewer and Student Minds Mental Health Charter Assessor.
Professor Sarah O’Shea is an award-winning educator and internationally recognised researcher, who applies sociological perspectives to the study of higher education equity. Building upon Bourdieusian social theory, her institutional and nationally funded projects advance understanding of how under-represented student cohorts enact success within university, navigate transition into and through this environment, manage competing identities and negotiate aspirations for self and others. Professor O’Shea is currently a Distinguished Professor and Dean at Charles Sturt University, Australia. This a role builds upon other university leadership roles that have all directly informed changes across the Australian higher education sector, particularly in the field of educational equity. She has published extensively and has been awarded nearly $AUD4 million in grant funding since 2009, also managing over $AUD10 million in Federal Government funding. Professor O’Shea has also been recognised for her work via international and national recognition, she is currently an Australian Learning and Teaching Fellow (ALTF), a Principal Fellow, Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), and a Churchill Fellow.
Dr Nidhi S. Sabharwal is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education (CPRHE), National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), New Delhi, India, and an Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Education Studies at the University of Warwick. Dr Sabharwal has previously been the In-Charge of CPRHE/NIEPA. She has also served as the Director at the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, New Delhi. Dr Sabharwal’s research focuses on access and equity in higher education, focusing on issues of college readiness, diversity, social inclusion and academic success of students from disadvantaged groups. She has extensively published on issues in her research area, with close to 100 outputs ranging from books, chapters, and peer-reviewed journal papers to training modules and policy briefs. She has experience in conducting multi-state and multi-institutional research studies on equity in higher education. Her most recent research projects include a national-level study on student diversity and social inclusion and an evaluation study of publicly supported coaching programmes in higher education. She is the Co-PI for CPRHE/NIEPA & University of Warwick project on widening access to higher education in India (WAHEI project).
Dr Charlotte Verney is a professional services leader in UK higher education, currently Head of Assessment at the University of Bristol. Her research focuses on issues related to higher education administration, professional services staff as researchers, student experience and assessment. Charlotte is co-convenor of the SRHE Newer Researchers Network, and Joint Editor of Perspectives: policy and practice in higher education. Charlotte uses these roles to advocate for making the academic research space more inclusive for early career and professional services researchers, and has established an online network for higher education professionals engaged with research. Charlotte has contributed to the higher education community as an external advisor to validation panels, progression & award external examiner, and is collaborating with sector bodies such as JISC, QAA and the Academic Registrars Council (ARC) to bring research and practice closer together. Charlotte is currently leading a sector-wide collaborative enhancement project on the future of exam boards.
Dr Patrick Baughan: Services to the Society
Patrick Baughan is Head of Education at The University of Law, where he leads a new department, setting up innovative programmes and contributing to key institutional initiatives. He previously worked at Advance HE as a Senior Learning Advisor and Assessment Lead, supporting UK and international higher education institutions about all aspects of pedagogy, including learning, teaching and assessment, and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). He has also held positions at UCL, City University (London) and the University of Leicester. His academic background lies in psychology and sociology, but he has been working in the fields of educational development and research for many years. His publications span areas including curriculum design, assessment, academic integrity, sustainability, and the development of newer researchers. His PhD focused on sociologists’ experiences of and views about sustainability in higher education. He is a Network Convener for the European Educational Research Association (EERA) and cofounded the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Network for the Society for Research in Higher Education (SRHE).
Prof. Maria Burke: Contribution to the field
Professor M. Burke PhD MBA DMS MA is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Professor of Management at the Faculty of Business and Digital Technologies, University of Winchester where she held the role of Faculty Head of Research from 2015-2022. She is now a member of the University’s Centre for Information Rights where her research expertise and interests include the application of digital technology to social systems including areas relating to ethics and technology.
During a very long career in higher education, Professor Burke has supported, mentored, supervised and examined many PGR and PhD students. She has produced over 200 outputs, ranging from books, chapters and peer reviewed journal papers to international conference papers. She has experience of leading and collaborating with students on research projects both as Principal and Co Investigator on various projects, having been successfully awarded several grants valued in total over 1.2 million.
Dr Jasvir Kaur Nachatar Singh: Academic citizenship/services to the academic community
Dr Jasvir Kaur Nachatar Singh is an award-winning Senior Lecturer at the Department of Management and Marketing, La Trobe Business School, La Trobe University, Australia. In 2020, Dr Singh received an international teaching recognition from Advance HE, UK as a Fellow (FHEA). In 2018, Dr Singh received two La Trobe University Teaching Awards and Best Presenter Award at the Global Higher Education Forum, Malaysia. Dr Singh’s research expertise is in higher education with a particular interest exploring international students’ lived experiences of academic success, employability, career aspirations and learning experiences. Dr Singh also explores lived experiences of skilled migrants and international academics. Dr Singh has published numerous articles in high impact journals and has presented at various national and international higher education conferences. In 2021, Dr Singh was appointed as a Research Fellow at the Malaysian National Higher Education Research Institute.
Prof. Ian McNay: Services to the Society
Professor Ian McNay is a Professor Emeritus for Higher Education and Management in the School of Education at the University of Greenwich. Ian joined the University of Greenwich in 1997 as head of the former School of Postcompulsory Education and Training and thereafter re-appointed as a professor. He has since pursued research and publications, taught at graduate level, supervised research students and mentored colleagues. His previous roles are a mix of academic, managerial and advisory, and include leading on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes in Mexico, Indonesia, Ukraine, Switzerland, Spain and countries in between. He has taught in three languages and been published in six, with over 200 outputs in all. He edited Research into Higher Education Abstracts for the Society/Taylor and Francis for over 15 years.
Ian is a current member of the SRHE Publications Committee, has previously served as a Member of the SRHE Governing Council and was made a Fellow of the Society in 2011. He has also previously served on the SRHE Research and Development Committee, and has very often acted as a referee and reviewer on the Society’s award and conference panels. Ian also proposed and led a project for the Society, funded by ESRC, on the impact of the Dearing Report with a series of research-based seminars which resulted in an edited book, one of three under the SRHE imprint – Beyond Mass Higher Education: Building on experience, 2005.
Dr Xianghan (Christine) O'Dea: Academic Citizenship/services to the academic community
Christine has been working in the UK higher education sector for over 20 years. She is also Chinese by ethnic origin and was an international student herself. She has always been highly committed to help and support international students, and aim to provide them with a more inclusive and equal learning environment. She has a sustained reputation as a strong advocate of EDI. Christine was among one of the first in the country designing and developing a transition website to support the transition of both domestic and international students into Higher Education. Her doctoral research explored specifically the transition of Chinese direct entry students into the UK. EDI and inclusiveness are also one of her main research interests. She has conducted research projects and published high impact papers in this area. Additionally, Christine mentors and supports new and inexperienced colleagues regarding EDI in higher education.
Dr Thomas Parkinson: Academic Citizenship/services to the academic community
Tom is a Reader and Programme Director of the MA and PGDip in Higher Education. With a background in the humanities and social sciences, his research focuses on global disparities in access to opportunity and resources in higher education and the relationship between higher education, society, the individual and the state. As PI, Tom has led research projects funded by the British Academy, the AHRC, the GCRF and Arts Council England.
Tom is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has served as an external examiner or expert validator at University College London (UCL), Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), Bath Spa University, The University of Chichester and KM Conservatory, Chennai. He chairs the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara) Syria Programme Academic Development Steering Group, which supports displaced, persecuted and at risk Syrian academics to continue their academic work.
Prof. Kathleen M. Quinlan: Contribution to the field
Kathleen M. Quinlan, PhD PFHEA is Professor of Higher Education and Director of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE) at the University of Kent, UK. She has held leadership or academic roles at the University of Oxford, Cornell University, and the Australian National University and has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, two books, and 10 book chapters. Her research is in the areas of learning, teaching, assessment, and student engagement in higher education. She specialises in research on students’ holistic development, particularly students’ interest. She has been principal investigator on grants from the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes, NERUPI, the Royal Academy of Engineering HE STEM Programme, the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, as well as co-investigator on projects funded by Advance HE and the Higher Education Careers Services Unit. She holds a BA (Psychology, University of Maine) and PhD (Education, Stanford University).
Dr Namrata Rao: Academic Citizenship/services to the academic community
Namrata Rao is a Principal Lecturer in Education at Liverpool Hope University where she coordinates the School of Education’s postgraduate taught programmes. Her key areas of research and publication include (but are not restricted to) various aspects of learning and teaching in higher education that influence academic identity and academic practice. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, executive member of the British Association of International and Comparative Education (BAICE), member of the Research and Development group of the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE) and co-convenor of the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Network of the Society for Research in Higher Education (SRHE). Her research has been funded by organisations such as the EPSRC, HEA (now Advance HE), Jisc, SEDA, SRHE, ALDinHE and BAICE. Her recent publications include co-edited books on the experiences of International Academics (2018) and Early Career Academics (2021) and three further books on Leadership in Learning and Teaching (in 2022 and 2023).
