Paul Ashwin

Professor Paul Ashwin serves as Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Research at Lancaster University, United Kingdom. He has been a core faculty member since 2004, holding leadership roles including Head of Department for three terms (2012-2023) and Deputy Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education (2020-2024).

His academic credentials include a PhD from University College London (2000) and an MSc (Econ) in the philosophy of the social sciences from the London School of Economics (1994), funded by a British Academy scholarship.

Professor Ashwin's research centers on student experience, learning dynamics, and the interplay between public/personal goods in higher education systems. His scholarly focus on knowledge structures, curriculum design, and student agency informs his extensive publications including 31 journal articles, 8 books, and 25 book chapters in the field.

He has supervised 33 completed PhD students while currently guiding 23 doctoral candidates, and has examined 66 PhD theses as internal/external examiner.

Professional Engagement

• Editorial board member: Higher Education and Policy Studies in Higher Education
• Principal Investigator for Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE) projects since 2015
• Keynote speaker at institutions including Central European University, University of Hong Kong, and Aarhus University

Consulting Expertise

• University of Sussex (UK)
• Tampere University (Finland)
• University of Cyprus
• University of Hong Kong
• Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

As a founding member of CGHE, he collaborates with researchers across Africa, Asia, and Europe to investigate global higher education inequalities and the consequences of academic globalization.