Liviu Matei

Professor Liviu Matei is a Professor of Higher Education and Public Policy and Head of the School of Education, Communication & Society at King's College London. He previously held roles at Central European University (CEU) and has extensive international experience in higher education policy. His research focuses on higher education governance, academic freedom, internationalization, and science policy.

Education: Studied philosophy, psychology, and sociology, completing a PhD at Bucharest University. He received multiple fellowships for advanced studies across Europe, including at the Institut Supérieur de Formation Sociale et de Communication (Bruxelles), The New School University (New York), and the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (Paris).

Research Interests: Includes higher education policy, academic freedom, internationalization, university governance, and the role of higher education in democracy. He founded initiatives such as the Global Observatory on Academic Freedom and the European Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Social Sciences and Humanities.

Awards: Elected to Academia Europaea (2022) and recipient of fellowships from institutions including Université Paris X Nanterre and Salzburg Seminar.

Advising & Grants: Supervised numerous PhD students, including recent graduates focused on global higher education challenges. His work addresses policy transfer, Bologna Process reforms, and the intersection of academic freedom with democracy.

Labs/Teams: Associated with the Centre for Research in Education in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (CRESTEM), the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), and the Centre for Language, Discourse & Communication (LDC) at King's College London.