Sally Smith

Professor Sally Smith (PFHEA, FBCS) is a leading academic at Edinburgh Napier University, serving as Head of Graduate Apprenticeships and Skills Development. Her research focuses on work-based learning, gender balance in STEM, and employability.

• Key affiliations: School of Computing Engineering and the Built Environment
• Research themes: AI and Technologies, Culture and Communities

Smith's work examines degree apprenticeships through the lens of Conservation of Resources Theory, analyzing work-life-study balance challenges. She investigates gender dynamics in computing and engineering education, co-founding initiatives like the Participant-Centred Planning Framework to improve inclusion.

Her recent projects include:

• Gendered information landscapes affecting apprenticeship routes (2022-2025)
• Role Models Framework Pilot for digital technology education (2021-2022)
• CPHC-funded mentor training improvements (2023-2024)

Scientific Awards:

• Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Fellow of the British Computer Society

As a doctoral supervisor, she guides projects on gender stereotyping in apprenticeship pathways and socio-technical transitions in computing education. Her publications span journals like Journal of Workplace Learning and Journal of Vocational Education and Training, addressing topics from adult apprenticeship motivations to longitudinal tripartite collaboration studies.