Sandra Ajaps

Sandra Ajaps is a Lecturer in Education at the Manchester Institute of Education (MIE), University of Manchester, with a strong research focus on sustainability education, critical pedagogy, and decolonising education. She actively contributes to the academic community through teaching, research, and leadership in specialized research groups.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Environmental Conservation Education from New York University (awarded 2021)
• MPhil in Psychology and Education from the University of Cambridge (2014)
• BSc(Ed) in Geography Education from the University of Nigeria (2010)

Ajaps' research interests center on transforming educational approaches to address environmental challenges through decolonial frameworks. Her work explores how indigenous knowledge systems can inform sustainability education, particularly in Nigerian contexts, while examining the intersections of civic engagement, environmental conservation, and critical pedagogy. She investigates how educational institutions can better integrate place-based knowledge and decolonial methodologies to address climate change and sustainability challenges.

Her research output reveals a strong trajectory in examining sustainable development through decolonial lenses, with particular emphasis on indigenous knowledge systems, environmental education, and civic engagement in Nigeria. Her publications demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach that bridges education, environmental science, and social justice.

Her notable awards include:

• New York University Steinhardt PhD Fellowship (2015-2019)
• New York University Doctoral Research Grant (2018)
• Simms Prize for best results in Education, University of Cambridge (2014)
• Cambridge Assessment and Santander Award for Master's Program (2013-2014)
• University of Nigeria's Prizes for top graduating student in both the Faculty of Education and Department of Social Science Education (2010)

Ajaps supervises graduate students, including ten MA students and two PhD students as co-supervisor during the 2021/2022 academic year. She teaches across multiple programs including International Education, Education for a Sustainable Environment, and Sustainability Education on the BSc Education programme. Her research is closely tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to quality education and sustainable communities.

Within the Manchester Institute of Education, she is an active member of both the Green Research in Education Group (GRiEG) and the Power, Inequality, and Activism research group, contributing to collaborative research initiatives focused on environmental sustainability and social justice in educational contexts.