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Senior Research Fellow
Mike is a Senior Research Fellow based in the Centre for Research in Mathematics Education (CRME) based in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham. A former political scientist, he has a PhD in Comparative European Politics from the University of Birmingham awarded in 2010. His expertise lies in the application of advanced statistical analysis to large social science datasets. He works on a number of randomised controlled trials funded by the Education Endowment Foundation, as well as Nuffield Foundation projects looking at the teaching of mathematics in Further Education sector, and the comparative analysis of student engagement, attainment and interest in secondary school science using the PISA 2015 dataset. Mike’s research interests are broadly focused on Educational Randomised Controlled Trials, Mathematics and Science Education, Applied Bayesian Statistics, Multilevel/Hierarchical Modelling, Comparative Politics, and European Union Politics.
Research profile
Deputy Director
Chris is Deputy Director of the Observatory for Mathematics Education, and Associate Professor of Statistics in the School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Nottingham where he is Head of Mathematics Education and Scholarship. His research interests focus on national trends of participation and attainment in mathematics; pedagogical approaches and student engagement in higher education mathematics and statistics teaching; as well as interdisciplinary science education and education for sustainable development. He has over 20 years of experience of teaching statistics at undergraduate and postgraduate level. He co-wrote QAA’s subject benchmark statement for Mathematics, Statistics and Operations Research. He is on the Executive Committee for the National Academy for PhD Training in Statistics and the Teaching Statistics committee of the Royal Statistical Society. He is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE.
Bobo is a Research Associate at the Observatory for Mathematical Education. She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in psychology from institutions in Hong Kong, as well as a PhD in Mathematics Education from Loughborough University.
Bobo has extensive experience working across various university departments, including the Department of Psychology and the School of Nursing in Hong Kong. Currently, she is responsible for managing the project "Mapping Mathematics in Higher Education (MathMap)," led by Dr. Chris Brignell.
Associate Director
Cath is an Associate Professor for Mathematics Education in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham. She is a researcher in early and primary mathematics education, leading projects on early number development, spatial reasoning, early patterning practice, practitioner perspectives on play in mathematics and mathematics educators’ professional learning. Having previously been a lecturer in Initial Teacher Education, Cath was originally a primary school teacher in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire for fourteen years. Cath is an experienced designer of mathematics resources and professional development, including for the Department for Education in England. Cath is the Cohort Studies Lead for the Observatory for Mathematical Education as well as leading the primary cohort study.
Jeremy Hodgen is a Professor of Mathematics Education. He has extensive expertise all aspects of mathematics education and has published widely on mathematics education, teacher education, assessment, international comparisons and standards over time and the design and evaluation of educational interventions. His current research projects include a systematic review of effective ways of teaching mathematics in secondary education for the Education Endowment Foundation and a comparison of different approaches to grouping students for secondary mathematics lessons in England. His Nuffield Foundation funded reports examining participation in post-16 mathematics have been highly influential in policy on studying mathematics to age 18. He has been a member of the Royal Society’s Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) and Chair of the British Society for Research into the Learning of Mathematics (BSRLM) and is currently a member of ACME’s Post-16 Contact Group. He served on the then Prime Minister’s Expert Advisory Group on Maths to 18. Currently, he also holds professorial positions at University College London and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and was previously a Professor of Mathematics Education at King’s College London. Before becoming an academic, he taught mathematics in primary and secondary schools.
Dawn Holt
Senior Operations Manager
Dawn has an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and has worked in operations management roles in a variety of manufacturing companies. She also worked at Loughborough University Business School, where she had the opportunity to do some operations management teaching. More recently she was an operations manager in the School of Education at Nottingham University. Her experience of collaborating with multiple teams and individuals to get things done to tight deadlines is proving very useful in her current role as Senior Operations Manager for the Observatory for Mathematical Education.
Marie is a Senior Research Fellow based in the Centre for Research in Mathematics Education (CRME) based in the School of Education at the University of Nottingham. She began her professional life as a teacher of mathematics and computing and later moved into educational research having completed a PhD in which she investigated the use of digital technologies in the teaching and learning of mathematics. She has worked on a range of research projects broadly in the areas of mathematics education, digital technologies and professional development for teachers. Most recently she made a major contribution to the successful Centres for Excellence in Mathematics (CfEM) randomised controlled trial of approaches to teaching GCSE mathematics in post-16 settings and the Counting Collections randomised controlled trial of approaches to teaching early number.
Kal is trained in advanced quantitative methods as part of his postgraduate and doctoral studies (funded by ESRC) at the Universities of Bath and Bristol. His work employs empirical strategies (mainly involving econometric, machine learning and psychometric tools) on a variety of datasets to understand diverse issues in the domain of education, labour, and policy. Previously, he has worked at the Centre for Employment Research, Westminster Business School; Institute for Policy Research, University of Bath and Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), London. He has interdisciplinary research experience through involvement in a range of externally funded (by the Royal Society, DfE, ESRC, HMRC, EEF, MoJ, SMC) projects and has published policy reports, book chapters and articles in various leading peer-reviewed journals. He has organised workshops and taught modules on statistics/econometrics, causal inference, modelling techniques and policy evaluation. His current research interests and expertise are in the area of economics of education, impact evaluation, and social policy.
Balbir Kaur is an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham where she leads on the primary maths programme and is an academic tutor on the primary PGCE programme. Balbir’s research interests are closely aligned with her professional practice that centre on social justice and equity. Her research interests include investigating socially just approaches to learning and teaching of mathematics that explore curriculum design and content formation. She has worked with beginning primary school teachers to address some of the myths and misconceptions about the nature of who can and cannot do maths. In addition, Balbir’s research aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Goals and primary STEM related concepts to address social justice.
More broadly Balbir has been involved in several small projects that have examined anti-racism, equity and diversity in a range of educational settings. Previously, Balbir has worked as a Director of Equity and Diversity in Education and Senior Lecturer in Initial Teacher Education. Her foundational knowledge base stems from her experiences as a primary school teacher in diverse schools and a lead mathematics teacher for a local authority.
Senior Operations Officer
Research Fellow
Gabriel is a Research Fellow at the Observatory for Mathematical Education. His research interests include mathematical argumentation and proof, mathematics teacher education, teacher beliefs and practices, and the use of language in mathematics classrooms. He works closely with schoolteachers and pre-service teachers in his research and applies design research methodology, advanced quantitative models, and mixed research methods to the investigation of research questions in mathematics education. Gabriel actively engages in research projects, for example, ‘Centres for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching for Mastery Randomised Controlled Trial’ led by Prof Geoff Wake and Prof Andrew Noyes (University of Nottingham) and ‘PISA 2022 National Reports (for England, Northern Ireland and Wales)’ led by Prof Jenni Ingram (University of Oxford). Having started as a secondary mathematics teacher in Hong Kong, Gabriel obtained his DPhil in Education at Oxford (2017-2022). Gabriel is also a Fellow of Advance HE.
Stephen studied for a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics with Education. He then became the first PhD student in the newly created Mathematics Education Centre at Loughborough University. His thesis focussed on the repercussions in higher education of the changes in the teaching and learning of mathematics in schools in England, following the introduction of 'Curriculum 2000'.
Between 2006 and 2024 Stephen worked for the charity and curriculum development organisation Mathematics in Education and Industry. He led on research, evaluation and data across MEI’s portfolio of work, including for the national Advanced Mathematics Support Programme. He joined the Observatory for Mathematical Education in 2024 as a Senior Research Fellow.
Stephen has authored/co-authored over 100 publications across a wide range of mathematics education topics. These include an undergraduate mathematics textbook, A level mathematics revision guide, journal articles, reports and national/international conference proceedings. He is a Chartered Mathematician, a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.
Jennifer is a Research Associate at the Observatory for Mathematical Education. Alongside this, she is an ESRC funded doctoral student in the School of Education, working within the Centre for Research in Mathematics Education (CRME). Her doctoral research looks at the ways in which quantitative skills are developed across subjects in the post-16 curriculum in England, and how these skills are (or are not) transferred to the university setting. Having started her career as a secondary mathematics teacher, Jennifer moved on to work in mathematics support in a wide range of settings, including state and independent schools and alternative provision. Most recently, she worked in mathematics support for 16-19 year olds and adults in a Further Education college, and taught academic study skills to STEM students at the University of Bristol.
Marc is an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham, where he has worked as a tutor on the Primary and Secondary Maths PGCE programmes. He has a specific research and professional interest in forms of mathematics that prepare students for more empowered real-world practice – including quantitative literacy and mathematical modelling. He also works closely with beginning and experienced teachers to explore teaching strategies and resources that support children who find Maths difficult, and which reduce emphasis on memorisation - such as using manipulatives, representations and real-life contexts. Previously he worked for a large trust of primary schools in Nottingham City as an Associate Headteacher, working in a Maths and school/leadership-improvement role. He is a workgroup lead for both the East Midlands West and East Midlands East Maths Hub, focused on subject-knowledge development for Primary ECT’s and Primary-Secondary transition. He also collaborates with the Derby Research School to offer professional development and in-school leadership support for local schools.
Andy is the founding Director of the Observatory for Mathematical Education (2023-). He was the Chair of the Joint Mathematical Council of the UK (2018-24), and a current member - and previous vice-chair - of the Royal Society's Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education. He chairs the RS/ACME Expert Panel on post-16 mathematics, sits on the Mathematical Futures Programme Board, has been closely involved in the development of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences. Andy is a member of the advisory boards of several major research projects and intervention programmes.
Andy's research interests are focused on mathematics education and 14-19 learner participation, pathways and policy. He is particularly interested in systems thinking, systemic change and implementation science. Andy is involved in a range of consultancy and advisory work including to the qualifications regulator, Ofqual. He joined the University in 2001, after teaching mathematics in a Nottinghamshire secondary school for nine years. He was Head of the School of Education from 2014-18 and Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange (Social Science) from 2018-20.
Emma is a Research Fellow at the Observatory for Mathematical Education. Emma studied Physical Education with Mathematics in Dublin City University (2012-2016) and subsequently completed her PhD in Mathematics Education in 2022. Her research interests lie in initial teacher education, mathematical problem solving, and Lesson Study. Emma was a postdoctoral researcher in University College Dublin working on a project which focused on supporting Lesson Study in secondary schools. Prior to this, Emma worked in a secondary school in Dublin for six years.
Jake has undergraduate and PhD degrees in mathematics from the University of Warwick and Nottingham, respectively. He has experience analysing data in a variety of university departments, including the Schools of Mathematics, Education, and Psychology at Nottingham and the Botanic Garden at the University of Cambridge. In particular, Jake led the secondary analysis of the NPD and HESA data in ‘The mathematics pipeline in England’ report led by Prof Andrew Noyes and Dr Chris Brignell.
Corrine was a civil servant for 28 years, working in a variety of offices and roles. She has considerable experience working in the fields of Taxation, the Pension Scheme industry and Human Resources, mainly heading up projects and performing management roles. A change of career saw her present television shows and demonstrate crafting items on shopping channels for eight years; another change has seen her recently move to the university sector as a Senior Operations Officer for the Observatory. Born in Cardiff, Corrine lives in the Nottingham area with her husband, having raised three now adult children.
Katie has been an Assistant Professor in the School of Mathematical Sciences since 2019, before this she completed her PhD in statistics here. Katie has experience applying statistical and machine learning methods to analyse large datasets, with past projects ranging from statistical analysis of text data to using maternity data to help improve the rights and health of women in Tanzania. Katie currently lectures first to final year university students in statistics and is active in creating inclusive learning environments. She is also passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and has led many EDI initiatives, particularly in encouraging and celebrating diversity within maths. She was a co-writer for the University of Nottingham’s gold, gender equality, Athena Swan award and sits on the London Mathematical Society's Women and Diversity committee. She is particularly excited to work in the Observatory where she can make maths a more inclusive subject for everyone.
David has undergraduate and PhD degrees in mathematics/statistics from the University of Queensland. He held postdoc and then continuing academic positions in mathematics (more specifically, statistics and applied probability) from 2007-2023. He now splits his time between working as a statistical consultant and, since January 2024, his role as a statistician within the Observatory for Mathematical Education.
Inga is a Research Fellow at the Observatory for Mathematical Education. Prior to joining the University of Nottingham, she completed her PhD in Social Policy at the University of Oxford, focusing on the school-to-work transitions of British (STEM) graduates, and how they are shaped by gender and family background. Alongside her PhD, Inga worked on a research project investigating the schooling and social origin of elite groups in Britain, including Fellows of the Royal Society. She also contributed to a range of EDI initiatives at the University of Oxford, focusing on graduate access in particular. Inga approaches the study of mathematical education from a sociological/policy perspective and is particularly interested in how societal inequalities shape student experiences and outcomes.
Dalene’s research in mathematics education draws on sociopolitical and socioecological perspectives and theories. In this sense, her work contributes to social and ecological justice and critical mathematics education. She has examined what she refers to as the ‘social construction of disadvantage’ and the ‘pedagogising of difference’ through the discourse and practice of mathematics and STEM (education), and interrogates the intersections of race, class, gender, and other social difference discourses, and the (inter)relationships between power, context, discourse, and identity with respect to mathematics and mathematics education. Here, the recontextualising effects of the power and influence of mathematics and STEM discourses on institutions and society is a necessary component of the ‘political’ in respect to Dalene’s research in mathematics education. Dalene also has brought critical global citizenship (education) to mathematics education, as well as indigenous thought and the arts by way of decolonising oppressive mathematics and STEM discourses and practices and their political effects in society more broadly. More recently, Dalene has engaged in development challenges around climate change, disaster risks, sustainability, and the UN SDGs, where ethical mathematics and STEM (education) provide important epistemological and ontological roles alongside other indigenous and local ways of knowing to address these challenges in local ‘development’ contexts. Dalene was the PI of a large international £1 million UKRI GCRF ESRC ODA grant, ‘Water and Fire’, which critically addressed the climate change-induced disaster risks and livelihood impacts relating to drought, floods, and fire of disenfranchised communities in South Africa.
Ron is the Observatory’s Operations Manager with a degree in Computer Science and a strong passion for operations, cyber security, privacy, and data. He has developed extensive operational and technical expertise through experience in a variety of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, healthy food, startups, and most recently at the Home Office. In his role at the government department, Ron contributed to several key cyber security projects, where he applied his skills to enhance data protection and improve system security. His areas of expertise include cyber security, data privacy, and operational efficiency in high-stakes environments.
Geoff is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Education and has a long-established track record of research and design in and of curriculum, assessment, teacher professional learning and engagement with and learning of mathematics quite widely. His work has often had a post-16 and out of subject domain learning focus such as mathematics in other subject areas and workplaces. He has much experience of working with researchers internationally including in Japan, the United States and Europe. He is Chair of Trustees of the educational charity Collaborative Lesson Research and supports close-to-practice research that attempts to provide insights into classroom teaching and learning.
Most recently Geoff has led a number of large-scale randomised controlled trials and designs of interventions that aim to improve classroom teaching. These have primarily focused on outcomes at GCSE and GCSE resits (in post-16 settings). He continues to be active in European and international organisations supporting mathematics education research.
Emily has been at the University of Nottingham since 2018 when she started her undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences. She then completed a master’s degree in Microbiology and Immunology, before working for the Faculty of Science. Emily has worked in roles within Education and Student Experience and Widening Participation and Outreach. She brings her experience in these teams to join the Observatory for Mathematical Education as a Senior Operations Officer.