Elizabeth Rushton

Dr. Elizabeth Rushton is an Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Education, University College London. Her expertise spans education, environmental history, and teacher development. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Geography from the University of Nottingham (2014), a Master of Science in Psychology from Canterbury Christ Church University (2019), and multiple undergraduate degrees including a Bachelor of Music from King's College London (2004).

Education Background:

• PhD: 'Under the shade I flourish': An Environmental History of Northern Belize, 1500 BC - AD 1950, University of Nottingham (2014)
• MSc Psychology, Canterbury Christ Church University (2019)
• MSc Environmental History, University of Nottingham (2010)
• BSc Geography, Oxford Brookes University (2009)
• BMus Music, King's College London (2004)

Research Focus: Her work addresses teacher identity, secondary education, climate resilience, and sustainable development. Notable projects include Integrated ClimAte Resilience UnderStanding (ICARUS) Belize (2022) and A teacher and youth co-created manifesto for Education for Environmental Sustainability (EfES) (2021).

Recent Outputs: Recent publications explore pandemic impacts on teacher training, climate resilience in education, and teacher quality. These studies emphasize practical solutions for educator professionalization and systemic challenges in secondary schooling.

Grants & Projects:

• Primary Investigator for ICARUS Belize (Leverhulme Trust, 2022)
• Co-Investigator on pandemic-impacted teacher retention (ESRC, 2021)
• Lead on UK Education for Environmental Sustainability manifesto (BERA, 2021)

Her research actively contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to quality education and climate action.