Adriana Duta

Dr. Adriana Duta is a Lecturer in Quantitative Methods at the Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, affiliated with the Institute for Education, Community & Society (IECS). She joined the university in 2015 as a Research Fellow, contributing to ESRC-funded projects like AQMeN and Understanding Inequalities. Her research focuses on social stratification, educational inequalities, and life course dynamics, leveraging large-scale quantitative data. She holds a PhD in Social Statistics and Demography from the University of Southampton, funded by an ESRC scholarship, and has conducted research across Europe and the US.

Educational Background:

• Bachelor’s and Master’s in Sociology from the University of Bucharest (2009)
• Master of Science in Social Science Theory and Methodology from the University of Groningen/Interuniversity Centre (2011)
• PhD in Social Statistics and Demography from the University of Southampton (2016)

Research Interests:

Her work examines how individual, family, and contextual factors influence life chances, with a focus on education, labor markets, and family behavior. She employs cross-national comparative analysis and advanced quantitative methods to address systemic inequalities. Recent projects include analyzing intergenerational mobility, spatial disparities in job opportunities, and enabling factors for cognitive outcomes in early childhood.

Teaching & Supervision:

Adriana teaches quantitative methods courses and mentors students in education research pathways. She currently supervises PhD candidates Jiayang Wang (China’s social mobility) and Peter Barlow (neighborhood effects on educational outcomes), and has previously advised Yifang Xu (language attitudes in UK universities).

Affiliations & Leadership:

• Co-Leader of the Advanced Quantitative Research in Education (AQRiE) Hub
• Member of the International Sociological Association’s Research Committee 28 on Social Stratification
• Member of the Society for Longitudinal and Lifecourse Studies
• Associate of the ESRC Centre for Population Change

Public Engagement:

She actively bridges academia and policy, organizing events like the Understanding Inequalities festival and contributing to initiatives addressing early childhood equity and gender disparities in STEM. Her work has informed policy briefs on attainment gaps and postgraduate funding thresholds.