About
Billy Wong is Professor of Education and Director of Research and Evaluation at the University of Reading's Institute of Education. His academic leadership includes chairing the Access and Participation Evaluation Subcommittee and co-chairing the Diversity & Inclusion Community of Interest group. He supervises doctoral candidates and serves as Deputy Director of Postgraduate Research Studies.
Professor Wong's research examines educational inequalities through sociological lenses, focusing on higher education participation, STEM aspirations, and identity formation. His work on the 'ideal student' concept has influenced institutional policies addressing awarding gaps. Current projects investigate how spatial belonging and curriculum design impact minoritized students, with particular attention to computing education barriers.
His publication trends show increasing focus on intersectional analyses of educational equity, employing mixed-methods approaches across three key domains: ethnic disparities in higher education outcomes, youth STEM identity development, and digital pedagogies. Recent work emphasizes participatory methodologies and institutional data analytics to address structural inequities.
Professor Wong leads multiple research initiatives including the Subject Choice, Attainment and Representation in Computing project (funded by Nuffield Foundation) and the Evaluation Collective exploring higher education assessment practices. He actively mentors doctoral researchers investigating diverse topics from mindfulness practices in anti-racist education to international student experiences.
