Lindsey Macmillan

Lindsey Macmillan is a Professor of Economics at University College London (UCL) and the Founding Director of the Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO). She also holds a position as a Visiting Professor at the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion at the London School of Economics. In September 2024, she was appointed to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions' Labour Market Advisory Board. Additionally, she serves as Treasurer of the Scottish Economic Society Council and is Co-Editor of Education Economics.

Professor Macmillan's research focuses on critical issues of educational and social inequality. Her primary areas of expertise include:

• Social mobility across the life course
• Educational inequality and access to opportunities
• Labor market inequalities and outcomes
• Economics of education policy

Her recent work examines how socio-economic background and ethnicity affect access to professional occupations, with findings showing that employer-side decisions during recruitment processes drive most of these inequalities. She has also conducted significant research on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on young people's education and wellbeing, vocational education pathways, and the relationship between student ability and course quality. A March 2025 report she co-authored revealed that lower socio-economic background applicants are 32% less likely to receive job offers than those from professional backgrounds, even when comparing candidates with similar qualifications.

Professor Macmillan leads several major research projects funded by the Nuffield Foundation and UKRI, including studies on:

• Inequalities in access to elite occupations (2022-2025)
• Diversity and Productivity from Education to Work (2022-2025)
• Beyond teacher assessed grades: Post 16 education choices and Covid-19 (2024-2026)
• Impact of Covid-19 on young people's learning and wellbeing (2020-2021)

As Founding Director of CEPEO, Professor Macmillan leads a research center dedicated to creating evidence-based education policy to equalize opportunities. Her work frequently informs government policy discussions, particularly around the UK government's 'Opportunities Mission.' She collaborates extensively with researchers including Gill Wyness, Jake Anders, and Richard Murphy on education and inequality issues, with her findings regularly featured in policy debates and media coverage.