معرفی
Helena Gillespie serves as Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Inclusion and Professor of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education at the University of East Anglia. With 30 years of experience in the education sector, she became a Professor in 2019 after progressing from classroom teacher to Teacher Educator at UEA, then to School Teaching Director, Associate Dean, and Academic Director roles since 2013.
Her primary responsibilities include academic oversight of the university's Inclusive Education Policy and Access and Participation Plan issues, working closely with the widening participation team. She also co-leads the Learning for Societal Impact stream for the Aurora Alliance, a European University initiative funded by Erasmus+.
Professor Gillespie's research focuses on educational equity, student inclusion, and widening participation in higher education. Her work critically examines university admissions processes, pandemic educational recovery strategies, teacher workforce challenges, and the relationship between degree programs and social mobility. She has published extensively on how contextual factors affect educational outcomes for disadvantaged students.
Her scholarly contributions demonstrate consistent engagement with policy issues affecting both higher education and school sectors, with particular attention to how systemic barriers impact educational access and success.
- Member of the Trustee Board of a Multi-Academy Trust
- School governor
- Member of Norfolk Cricket Board
She holds a Masters in Education and Professional Development from the University of East Anglia (2000) and actively contributes to educational discourse through research collaborations and public engagement.
