Rille Raaper

Dr Rille Raaper is an Associate Professor and Director of Research in the School of Education at Durham University. She also serves as Co-Director (Social Sciences and Health) at the Institute of Advanced Study. Her research focuses on the sociology of higher education, particularly marketization, student identity, and political agency. Key interests include student activism, consumer rights, and the impact of neoliberal policies on education.

Dr Raaper holds a BA, MA (both Cum Laude) from Tallinn University and a PhD from the University of Glasgow. She has led large-scale projects, including a longitudinal study on student politicization funded by ESRC (2025-2028). Notable publications include Student Identity and Political Agency (2023) and co-edited volumes like The Bloomsbury Handbook of Student Voice (2023). She is an editor for Critical Studies in Education and serves on editorial boards for British Journal of Sociology of Education and Teaching in Higher Education.

Her awards include the 2021 Emerald Literati Award and the 2018 Best Early Career Paper Award. She frequently presents at academic and public forums, such as Harvard’s Mahindra Humanities Centre and UC Berkeley’s Centre for Studies in Higher Education. Current teaching includes modules on higher education inclusion and policy.