معرفی
Dr Neil M Speirs serves as the Widening Participation Manager within the University Secretary's Group at the University of Edinburgh and holds a Tutor position in the Moray House School of Education and Sport. His multifaceted role integrates management, research, and teaching across primary, secondary, further, and higher education sectors, focusing on systemic barriers to educational access.
His research centers on the hidden curriculum, classism on campus, and transitions for marginalized student groups, particularly working-class and mature learners. Using critical pedagogy and autoethnography, he examines social reproduction mechanisms, equity in student experiences, and peer-based interventions. Key specialisms include sociology of sport, student parent experiences, and community-engaged pedagogies that challenge neoliberal educational frameworks.
Analysis of his 2020-2024 publications reveals consistent thematic threads: financial stress as an academic barrier, spatial belonging through inclusive facilities, and solidarity-based community building. His work bridges Bourdieusian theory with practical campus interventions, emphasizing how subtle acts of support dismantle classist structures in higher education.
Scientific Awards:
- Best Paper Award at QAA International Enhancement Conference (Glasgow, 2017) for 'Reflecting On The Multiple Barriers to Accessing Higher Education'
Dr Speirs supervises undergraduate and postgraduate students through course instruction but has no named doctoral advisees. His grant portfolio includes Scottish Funding Council projects like the National Bridging Project in Science and community initiatives such as Educated Pass (sport-based engagement for low-SES males) and the Football - More Than A Game pre-access course, which integrate experiential learning with social mobility goals.
He chairs the College of Science and Engineering Equality & Diversity Committee and co-leads university-wide working groups on decolonizing curricula, GDPR compliance, and political literacy. His collaborative ecosystem spans the Academy of Sport, Scottish Wider Access Programme Executive Group, and Alliance of Working Class Academics, with partnerships extending to Education Scotland and local community organizations for primary-secondary transition programs.
