Ellen Boeren

Ellen Boeren is a Professor of Education (Educational Leadership & Policy) at the University of Glasgow, holding a PhD in Educational Sciences from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium). She joined Glasgow in 2019 after seven years at the University of Edinburgh. As the College of Social Sciences' Rankings Champion, she analyzes international league table data to inform institutional strategies. Her work focuses on adult education, lifelong learning, and policy contexts, with significant contributions to organizations like the OECD, UNESCO, and the European Commission. Notably, she led a £605k ESRC-funded project on adult learning statistics (2023–2025) and co-edited the Fourth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education. Boeren’s research emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, quantitative methodologies, and the intersection of education policy with social justice. She has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications, including her award-winning monograph Lifelong Learning Participation in a Changing Policy Context. Boeren also serves as an editorial board member for Adult Education Quarterly and has held leadership roles in the Standing Conference for University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults.

Education

• PhD in Educational Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (2011)
• Professional experience includes roles at the University of Edinburgh (2012–2019) and postdoctoral research at the OECD

Research Interests

Boeren’s work explores adult education participation dynamics, policy evaluation, and the methodological challenges in measuring lifelong learning. She investigates barriers to education access, the role of technology in learning, and the impact of global crises (e.g., pandemic, austerity) on educational systems. Her recent focus includes:

• Adult learning statistics and data quality
• Higher education rankings and institutional strategies
• Interdisciplinary frameworks for policy analysis

Grants & Awards

Her £605k ESRC grant (2023–2025) examines adult learning statistics’ state-of-the-art applications across the UK and Ireland. Previous grants include leadership of the EU’s ENLIVEN project (€2.5M) promoting lifelong learning in Europe. Her Cyril O. Houle Award (2017) recognizes outstanding contributions to adult education literature.

Labs/Teams

As a lead researcher in international collaborations, Boeren works with multidisciplinary teams on projects such as:

• ENLIVEN: Encouraging Lifelong Learning for Inclusive Europe
• IT'S PLAY: Improving Teaching Skills in Africa via playful learning (mixed-method evaluation)

Her research often bridges policy, practice, and academic inquiry to address systemic inequities in education access and quality.