Professor Anna Mountford-Zimdars (nee Zimdars )
Professor of Education / Director of the Centre for Social Mobility
A.Mountford-Zimdars@exeter.ac.uk
4959
+44 (0) 1392 724959
North Cloisters NC127
North Cloisters, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK
Overview
Anna is a PFHEA, Professor of Education and Joint Founder and Director of the Centre for Social Mobility.
Congratulations to my student Joanna Merrett for winning the Hutton Prize 2022!
I direct the academic strand of the Centre for Social Mobility at the University of Exeter. I was elected to the University of Exeter Senate in August 2020 and elected as govenor and trustee of the Society for Research into Higher Education from January 2022; I am academic advisor to the Social Mobility Commission (2022-2023) and TASO (2020-ongoing).
I served for two years (2018-2019) as a TEF national panel Widening Participation (WP) Expert and I am serving on the Social Sciences Panel for the REF pilot in Slovakia (2022). I have been an invited expert to the Milburn Commission on Social Mobility and the UUK social Mobility academic reference group (both 2016) and participated in an OfS working group for the WP TEF metrics.
I am joint editor in chief of Research Papers in Education (2022-), where I previously served as associate editor (2019-2022), I co-edited Higher Education Review (2015-2018) and I served on the editorial board member for Active Learning in Higher Education (2016-2022) and Teaching in Higher Education, and am serving on the reviewer panel of Research in Postcompulsory Education (2020- )and the Journal for the Study of Postsecondary and Tertiary Education. I am part of the University of Michigan Diversity Scholar Network.
Research
My work uses theoretical, quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research to investigate access to and progression within higher education.
I am also interested in broader issues of inequality, social reproduction and skills development as well as interventions that work in supporting individuals out of cycles of disadvantage. I am currently working on elective home education and equity issues for this group heightened by policy making during the pandemic.
My work has provided me with opportunities to work closely on admissions to the University of Oxford, entry into the legal Bar (pupillage), the causes of differences in degree attainment across English higher education and the potential for using contextualised admissions as a way to identify talent at the university gate.
My appointment as first Centre Director of a new research stream at the University of Exeter was with a remit to support evidence and practice around widening participation within Exeter as well as undertaking broader research to support national and international academic discussions and policy developments in the field of widening participation and social mobility research.
I am a REF-returned researcher having authored more than 50 national and international conference presentations, 30 peer-reviewed articles, five book-chapter, over a dozen research reportsand as well as one monograph, two edited books and two edited peer-reviewed journal special issues. I have led an impact case-study with colleagues from the Centre for Social Mobility for the REF2021.
My monograph comparing university admissions in the United States and England came out in paperback in September 2017 and has been recognised through invited presentations in Washington, Utrecht and the Medical Admissions Council. My two most recent articles have focused on the experience of disadvantaged UK students studying at elite US universities using a Bourdieusian lens and looking at the disciplinary background of Pro-Vice Chancellors for Learning and Teaching in UK universities.
My research has been funded by OfS and its predecessors HEFCE and OFFA, the EU, ESRC, Nuffield Foundation, British Academy, SRHE, CRAC, SEDA, Social Mobility Commission, Fair Education Alliance, (then) HEA, (then) SPA, institutions (Nuffield College Oxford, King’s College London, Manchester University, University of Exeter) and charities.
I am an experienced and effective Principal and Co-investigator in the field of HE entry and progression as illustrated by these select recent projects:
(1) 2014-2015: HEFCE, Differential Outcomes in Higher Education, PI with Joanne Moore, Dr Steven Jones, Dr John Sanders, Louise Higham, Dr Duna Sabri (£61,000)
(2) 2015 – 2016, OFFA, The Effect of student support , Co-I , Prof Colin McCaig (PI), Dr Neil Harrison (£47,000)
(3) January –Mary 2018, Fair Education Alliance, Updating the review of Contextual Admissions, PI with Joanne Moore and Louise Higham (£12,000)
(4) 08.2017 – 03.2019 Evaluating Outreach Interventions, OfS, PI with Joanne Moore, Dr Pallavi Banerjee, Prof Debra Myhill (£102,000)
(5) July 2019 - August 2021 Building NCOP capabilities, OfS, PI with Julian Crockford, Anand Shukla (Brightside), Colin McCaig, Neil Harrison, Joanne Moore, Greg Brown (£190,000)
Teaching
I was programme director for the Academic Apprenticeship programme (APP) for newer academics at the Universtiy of Exeter (2018-2021), I continue to teach on this programme as well as contributing to other graduate programmes within the School of Education.
During my directorship, the APP team has successfully supported the first 'Apprentice' nationwide to pass the research pathway Endpoint Assessment.
Prospective Students
I welcome enquiries from motivated students. I supervise on the intercalated MA for medical students as well as MA programmes in the Graduate School of Education and have also supervised on the MA Computing. I welcome PhD students with interests in Education, Sociology and both quantitative and qualitative methods. If you want to explore a proposal within my areas of expertise and would like to study at the University of Exeter, please get in touch.
Qualifications
BA (Hons, Kent, 2001) - First; MSc (Oxon, 2002) - Distinction; DPhil (Oxon, 2007)
Anna is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA) and ASPIRE.
Career
Anna joined the Universitiy of Exeter after researching Higher Education inequality at King's College London (2011-2017), she undertook her post-doctoral research at the University of Manchester (2007-2011) where she was part of the Institute for Social Change and a visiting scholar with Professor Robert Putnam at the Harvard Kennedy School (2009-2010). During her doctoral studies with Professor Anthony Heath at the University of Oxford (2004-2007), she also spent time at the New York University Steinhardt School of Education (2006) visting Professor Mitchell Stevens. Anna is a dual German-British national and grew up in the Hanseatic City of Hamburg and still misses watching huge container vessels arriving in a busy harbour.
Research group links
Research
Research interests
opportunities to enhance equality across education
higher education access, progress, and success
social mobility
elective home education
teaching excellence
teaching for inclusion
access to professions - law, medicine, academia
policy research - what works
Research projects
January –Mary 2018 |
Fair Education Alliance, £12,000, PI with Joanne Moore and Louise Higham, Updating the review of Contextual Admissions |
August 2017 – Dec 2018 |
Evaluating Outreach interventions, OFFA, £70,000, PI with Debra Myhill, Pallavi Banjeree, Joanne Moore |
April 2017 |
Evaluating TEF2 submission, HEA, co-investigator - Joanne Moore, John Sanders, Louise Higham, Anna Mountford-Zimdars, Steve Jones |
March 2017 – March 2019 |
External examining HEA, £30,000, co-investigator - Joanne Moore, John Sanders, Anna Mountford-Zimdars |
January 2017 - |
HEFCE Raising Awareness, Raising Aspiration: £499,999 Samul Dent, Mary McKeever, Alison Stenton, Anna Mountford-Zimdars |
January 2017 – January 2019 |
EU Erasmus Marie Curie individual Fellowship scheme £ 135,000 total, Welcoming students; The first year experience German Fernandez Vavrik, Anna Mountford-Zimdars (named supervisor on Fellowship) |
June 2016 – Dec 2016 |
British Academy - Teaching Excellence in the Social Sciences and Humanities £20,000 PI, co-investigators: Joanne Moore, John Sanders, Frederico Matos |
2016 – 2017 |
SEDA, £1,000, Principal Investigator with Claire Gordon co-investigator |
2016 – 2016 |
Social Mobility Commission, Access to Science, led by ARC network, £12,500, co-investigator |
2016 – 2017 |
King’s College Teaching and Learning fund – Peer-Assessment in War Studies, £3,000 led by Dr Matt Moran, co-investigator |
2015 – 2016 |
OFFA, effect of student support, £47,000, led by Sheffield Hallam, co-investigator |
2015 – 2015 |
HEA, postgraduate tender, £59,910, led by CRAC, co-Investigator |
2014-2015 |
HEFCE award, student progression in Higher Education, Principal Investigator (£61,000) with Joanne Moore, John Sander, Steven Jones and Duna Sabri |
2014-15 |
UCAS, ‘the future of SPA’, grant, Co-investigator, with Louise Higham (PI) and Joanne Moore (£21,000) |
2014 |
Princeton University and King’s College London, publication grant for edited book with the University of Chicago Press ($2,600) |
2013 |
HEFCE, Postgraduate Bursary grant, (£500,000), Co-I with PI Kim Wolff, matched funding of £600,000 from King’s secured |
2013 |
SPA, ‘investigating the use of contextual data in admissions’, Co-I with ARC network, (£ 29,050) |
2013 |
School of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Research Grant, Co-I with Sharon Gewritz, Alan, Cribb and Tania de Croix, (£3,000) |
2012 – 2014 |
Widening Participation evaluation grant, Co-I with Becky Francis (£75,000) |
2012-2013 |
Spencer Foundation, Extended special Issue Type Setting Grant, Co-I with David Post and Daniel Sabbagh, ($7,000) |
2012 – 2013 |
SRHE annual newer researcher prize, PI (£3,000) |
2012 – 2013 |
Higher Education Academy, Teaching Development Grant, PI (£5,298) |
2010 – 2011 |
Research seed funding, School of Social Sciences, PI (£3,000), + Co-I with Julian Skyrme on cofounding grant from the Admissions Office (£3,000) |
2009 – 2010 |
Nuffield Foundation Access to Justice Small Grant PI (£3,754), Grant number SGS/37476 |
2009 |
Visiting scholar Grant, Harvard and Manchester Universities, PI (£7,000) |
2008 – 2010 |
Thomas Pocklington Trust, Research Grant, Co-PI with James Nazroo (£10,000) |
2007 |
BA Science Communication Competition, national Finalist, PI (£450). |
2006 |
ESRC Overseas Research Grant, PI (£8,046) |
2004 – 2007 |
ESRC doctoral studentship, competition award (~£ 55,000) |
2004 |
University of Oxford grant, Research Award, Postgraduate Entry, Co-I (£12,000) |
2003 – 2006 |
HEFCE, Widening Participation grant, Co-I (£80,000) |
Research networks
Society for Research into Higher Education
Principal Fellow of Advance HE
Links
Publications
Books
Journal articles
Chapters
Conferences
Reports
External Engagement and Impact
Awards and Honours
2022: Appointed international Expert, Slovakian REF pilot
2022: Advisor, Social Mobility Commission
2019: Transforming Access and Student Outcomes (TASO) memebr of academic advisory group
2019: Teaching Excellence Framework Panel Member, Expert on Widening Participation
2018 Teaching Excellence Framework Panel Member, Expert on Widening Participation
2018: Reviewer for the Dutch National Research Council
2017: Reviewer for the HEA National Teaching Fellowship Scheme
June 2016: Invited Expert to Milburn Commission on Social Mobility
Jan 2016: Member of Academic Reference group, UUK social mobility review
2015: Reviewer for the Portugues National Research Council
2015: Winner of the BERA best poster prize 2015
2015: Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association
Nov 2014: Academic Associate of the Higher Education Academy
2013-2016 Member of the BERA publication committee; lead on scoping review of ethical guidance
May 2013: Invited Expert, HEFCE / OFFA round-table on the national strategy for Widening Participation
2014: Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
2012 – 13: Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Quality Code (Chapter B2) Recruitment and Admission, invited expert writer and member of the Steering Group
2012: Department for Business, Information and Skills forecasting unit, ‘Future drivers of social mobility, Invited expert participant
2012: International Conference on International Higher Education, Member of Scientific programme Committee
2011: Commission on Social Mobility, Alan Milburn Round-table, London, Invited Expert
External Examiner Positions
2022: PhD External Examiner, University of Northumbria
2022: PhD External Examiner, Cardiff University
2019: PhD External Examiner, University of Kent at Canterbury
2016 EdD External Examiner: University of Liverpool
2016: External Examiner (critical friend), professional accreditation of academics against the SEDA framework, University of Oxford
2015-sept 2018 External Examiner for the Postgraduate Diploma and Certificate, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland
2014-Sept 2018 External Examiner for the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, University of Manchester
Evidence of impact on policy and professional practice
Highlights:
2012 Trinity College Dublin, widening participation in admissions, invited international keynote
8.10. 2012: Milburn report on Higher education and social mobility, extensive references to the ‘Fair Admissions Conference’ in Manchester 2011 that I organised and chaired
08.03.2011: House of Commons - Hansard Debates, reference to the publication of Ogg, Zimdars and Heath
Date | Title | Details | Location |
2. May 2019 |
Is the TEF a useful tool for Widening Participation? |
Royal Holloway Invited Keynote learning and teaching conference |
Surrey, England |
28 January 2019 |
Using contextual data in university admissions |
Queen Mary University invited seminar speaker |
London, England |
18. Sept 2018 |
The Standards of Evidence in Evaluation: a new framework from OfS commissioned research |
SRHE – NERUPI workshop, invited speaker |
London, England |
25 January 2018 |
Admitting students to selective courses in the United States and England |
Invited Keynote Utrecht |
Utrecht, Netherlands |
8 Dec 2017 |
Admitting students to selective courses in the United States and England |
Invited Keynote UKCAT |
London, England |
August 2017 |
The global access challenge and national responses |
International Higher Education Policy Institute, Invited speaker |
Washington, USA |
July 2017 |
Teaching Excellence: Findings from British Academy commissioned research |
HEA conference |
Manchester, UK |
May 2017 |
The Causes of differences in student progression |
Invited Speaker UCL WP department |
London, UK |
23.06.2016 |
Invited Keynote: how to get an academic job |
Annual Graduate Student Conference, Liverpool John Moore’s University |
Liverpool, England |
23.05.2016 |
Invited speaker: How to get an academic job – insights from an HEA-funded student-partnership project |
KCL, Graduate school / Career’s service PhD development workshop |
London, England |
04.05.2016 |
Invited presentation with Robin Mellors-Bourne (project lead) and Paul Wakeling: Postgraduate Transitions in Higher Education |
HEA webinar |
Webinar hosted at HEA, York, England |
08.4.2016 |
Invited speaker: Causes of differences in student progression in Higher Education and the link to WP |
SRHE WP network: workshop |
Sheffield, England |
27.04.2016 |
Invited speaker: Causes of differences in student progression in Higher Education |
Public Policy Exchange |
London, England |
07.04.2016 |
Invited speaker: How to get an academic job |
Queen Mary University Professional Development Seminar, Graduate School |
London, England |
21.03.2016 |
Invited keynote: Causes of differences in student progression in Higher Education |
HEFCE sector-wide national dissemination workshop |
London, England |
May 2016 |
Invited Speaker: Springboard Women’s development programme: Insights from the inside |
Springboard |
King’s College, UK |
25.02.2016 |
Invited speaker: Causes of differences in student progression in Higher Education: What can educational developers do? |
Departmental Seminar, EdD unit |
Liverpool, England |
24.02.2016 |
Invited speaker: Causes of differences in student progression in Higher Education |
UCL Race Equality Group |
London, England |
01.12.2015 |
Invited contributor: WP in the UK and at King’s College |
Sciences Po WP and inclusion group |
Science Po, Paris, France |
6.10.2015 |
Invited round-table member |
HEFCE advisory roundtable on social capital |
London, England |
May 2015 |
Invited Speaker: Adjustment Sponsorship in Higher Education |
Department of Education |
York, England |
April 2015 |
Invited Workshop: Supporting diversity competences through staff development, workshop leader |
Equality challenge Unit and HEA joint conference |
Edinburgh, Scotland, |
19.02.2015 |
Invited speaker: Skills for teaching and research: navigating the journey from postgraduate students to academic, co=presented with student researcher Katie Brown |
HEA student transition conference |
London |
18.05.2012 |
Widening Participation in Irish Higher education: a view from the outside |
Invited keynote, Undergraduate Admissions for the 21st Century, Trinity College |
Dublin, Ireland |
03.04.2012 |
Access to selective higher education and beyond: Oxford and the legal Bar |
Geary Centre, Dublin, invited speaker |
Dublin, Ireland |
13.10.2010 |
Diversity in the Legal Profession - the legal Bar |
Invited Keynote: Diversity in the Legal Profession workshop |
London, UK |
June 2010 |
Preliminary Findings 2: re: Neuberger recommendation 52 |
Invited speaker: Neuberger Monitoring and Implementation Group, Bar Council, invited speaker |
London, UK |
18.11.2009 |
Some observations on meritocracy and the Law: the profile of pupil barristers at the Bar of England and Wales (2004 – 2008) |
American Bar Foundation seminar series Invited speaker |
Chicago, USA |
23.10.2009 |
Merit Selection in elite higher education? A mixed methods case study of the University of Oxford |
Kennedy School, Saguaro Seminar Series Invited speaker |
Harvard, USA |
09.09.2009 |
Diversity in the profession: The legal Bar |
ESRC seminar series, invited keynote |
Leeds, UK |
March 2009 |
Preliminary Findings 1: re: Neuberger recommendation 52 |
Neuberger Monitoring and Implementation Group Bar Council, invited speaker |
London, UK |
29.05.2008 |
Centre for Studies in Higher Education, Berkeley, invited speaker |
Berkeley, USA |
Journal and book series Editorships and Editorial board membership
Joint Editor in Chief, Research Papers in Education (2022- ongoing)
Associate Editor of Research Papers in Education (2019-2022)
Joint Editor of Higher Education Review (2015-2018)
Editorial board membership of Teaching in Higher Education (2016-2021)
Editorial board membership of Active Learning in Higher Education (2016-2021)
Past editorial board membership of Sociological Research Online
Joint editor of a guest special issue in Comparative Education Review
Reviewing activity including: British Journal of Sociology; Sociology; Social Forces; Journal of Law and Society; UCAS Admissions Research Journal; Journal of Education Policy; Higher Education Research Network Journal; Comparative Educational Review, Educational Review; Educational Research Journal; Ethnic and Racial Studies; Sociological Research Online; European Sociological Review; The Sociological Quarterly; SRHE Conference abstracts; ESRC grant application
Media Coverage
- Edge Foundation (2020) The Impact of Covid-19 on Education A summary of evidence on the early impacts of lockdown, https://www.edge.co.uk/sites/default/files/documents/covid-19_report_final_-_web.pdf
- Mulcahy, E. (2020) Four pillars of good practice that are needed now, more than ever, WONKHE, 22.06.2020. available at: https://wonkhe.com/blogs/four-pillars-of-good-practice-that-will-help-wp-teams-recover-from-covid-19/
- Hazell, W. (2020) Vast majority of UK universities planning ‘in-person’ teaching for students this autumn, i, June 17, 2020, available at: https://inews.co.uk/news/education/uk-universities-in-person-teaching-students-autumn-447857
- Simple News (04.06.2020) Gradually reopening schools unlikely to lead to second wave of coronavirus, says study https://simplenews.co.uk/general/gradually-reopening-schools-unlikely-to-lead-to-second-wave-of-coronavirus-says-study/
- Cartledge, James (04.06.2020) Primary school reopening 'unlikely to spark coronavirus second wave', says University of Warwick, Birmingham Mail, https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/primary-school-reopening-unlikely-spark-18359878
- Roach, April (04.06.2020) Gradually reopening schools unlikely to lead to second wave of coronavirus, says study, Evening Standard, https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/reopening-schools-coronavirus-second-wave-study-a4459356.html
- Wagdy Sawahel, (02.06 2020) Universities grapple with how to conduct fair admissions, https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200601151047299
- Wagdy Sawahel, (28 May 2020) Putting students’ mental wellbeing on the agenda, https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=2020052613572852
- Speck, D. (06.05.2020) Teachers' skills 'improve in lockdown': Working remotely is boosting teachers' edtech skills, creativity and lesson planning, say researchers, Times Education Supplement, https://www.tes.com/news/teachers-skills-improve-lockdown
- Russell Group (2020) Pathways for Potential - Full report: How universities, regulators and Government can tackle educational inequality, 27 May 2020,(featuring the Centre for Social Mobility at Exeter) available at https://russellgroup.ac.uk/policy/publications/pathways-for-potential-how-universities-regulators-and-government-can-tackle-educational-inequality/
Jack Grove (4. September 2014) Graduates ‘more likely’ to favour smaller higher education pool, Times Higher Education
Skyrme, Julian (Head of Corporate Responsibility, University of Manchester) 5 questions on contextual data and the race for admission, UUK Blog, 6.08.2013
United Academics (12 September 2012) Interview about Ethnic Diversity and Trust with United Academics, http://united-academics.org.
Radior Ireland – Newstalk: Breakfast with Chris Donoghue, contributor on university admission, May 17 2012
Legal Futures (2012) Age a barrier for breaking into the Bar says research, published 5 January 2012
Barrister Magazine (2012) Age barrier to making the Bar, news bulletin, published 5 January 2012.
Ellender, Pete (2011). Pull the ladder up: a third of graduates want fewer uni places. Times Higher Education. 11 December 2011.
Willets, D (Minister of State for Universities and Science) Ron Dearing Lecture: Universities and Social Mobility, 17 February 2011, Nottingham University.
Freud, Amy, The Story behind getting your PhD, STEPS newsletter, University of Manchester, December 2010.
Smith, Steve Hard facts show that contextual effects are right and fitting, Times Higher, 25/03/2010
Grimston, Jack, Oxford tutors downgrade private pupils, Sunday Times, 23/08/2009, p. 6.
Shepherd, Jessica, Oxford University admissions favour men, study finds, Guardian 19/08/2009.
Taylor, Laurie, ‘Thinking allowed’ BBC Radio 4, 19/08/2009 with my collaborator Dr Alice Sullivan
Clark, Laura, ‘Oxford dons accused of bias against girls’, The Daily Mail, 16/03/2005
Heath, Anthony, ’The Oxford Admissions Study’. Oxford Magazine, 15/03/2005.
Henry, Julie, ‘Oxford University admits it at last: it does discriminate against students from independent schools’, Daily Telegraph, 5/12/2004
Major awards, Prizes and Honorary degrees, including election to national and international learned societies
Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Fellow of Staff and Educational Development Association
Winner of the BERA best poster prize 2015
Member of the BERA publication committee 2013-2016, lead on scoping review of ethical guidance
Teaching
I directed the MA level / Level 7 Academic Professional Programme, previously known as PCAP from 2018-2021 and led the MA level / Level 7 module 'The contemporary Academic in Context'.I supervise MA level students in the Graduate School of Education, the Medical School and in Computing. My PhD students are based in the Graduate School of Education and I welcome enquiries from interested potential MA and doctoral candidates.
Modules
2023/24
Information not currently available
Supervision / Group
Research Fellows
- Carolyn Murray
- Luke Graham
Postgraduate researchers
- Salim Al Maqbali
- Luke Graham Second Supervisor
- Demelza Green
- Isabel Hallam
- Yating Yang