Mi Young Ahn

Mi Young Ahn is a Lecturer in the Sociology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she joined in August 2022. She serves as the Academic Lead of the Advanced Methods for the Social and Economic Research Thematic Pathway for South East Network for Social Sciences (SeNSS) and is a convenor for the MSc Social Research program. Previously, she held positions at University College London, University of Kent, Bangor University, and Liverpool Hope University.

Her educational background includes a PhD and MA in Sociology & Social Policy from Bangor University and a BA in Sociology (with Politics minor) from Korea University, South Korea. She became a Higher Education Academy Fellow in 2021.

Dr. Ahn's research focuses on intersectional inequalities, students' sense of belonging, educational inequalities, social mobility, social class, cultural and social capital, and advanced research methods. Her work has developed influential measurement tools like the 10 Words Question for assessing sense of belonging, now widely adopted across universities in the UK, USA, and Canada including Imperial College London's Sense of Belonging Toolkit.

Her publication record shows a consistent trajectory in understanding student belonging from multiple angles - examining its relationship to socio-economic status, institutional factors, locality, and its connection to social capital. Recent work expands into curriculum diversification examining racial representation in teaching materials.

• Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) Scoping Award (2018)
• Research Schools Programme in Opportunity Areas (EEF commissioned)
• Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes (TASO) project

As an educator, Dr. Ahn convenes core quantitative research modules for postgraduates and research methods modules for undergraduates. She serves as a reviewer for academic journals in higher education, education, social policy, and sociology, and contributes to educational conferences and textbook development.