Nidhi Singal

Nidhi Singal serves as Professor of Disability and Inclusive Education at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Education and holds the position of Vice President at Hughes Hall. Her academic leadership extends to roles as Trustee of the Cambridge Trust and UKFIET, alongside significant contributions to global education initiatives through the World Bank, UNESCO, and UNPRPD.

Her educational background includes a PhD and MPhil from the University of Cambridge, complemented by an M.A. and B.A. (Honours) in Applied Psychology from the University of Delhi. This clinical psychology foundation informs her distinctive approach to educational research.

Singal's research centers on educational equity for marginalized groups in Southern contexts, with particular emphasis on children with disabilities in South Asia and Africa. She pioneers culturally-sensitive methodological frameworks that challenge power imbalances in North-South research partnerships and prioritize ethical knowledge dissemination. Her work critically examines classroom teaching quality, schooling impacts, and the complex interplay between disability, poverty, and development.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals consistent focus on inclusive education measurement (2024), pandemic impacts on disabled learners (2021-2022), and Southern perspectives on disability-inclusive schooling. Her scholarship bridges rigorous academic research with actionable policy development, evident in her leadership of the Global Disability Summit's International Statement of Action.

• Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (2022)
• President of the British Association for International and Comparative Education
• Technical Advisory Council member for World Bank's Inclusive Education Initiative
• Contributor to UNESCO's Foundations of Disability-Inclusive Education Sector Planning Course

Singal mentors a vibrant cohort of postgraduate researchers through the Cambridge Network for Disability and Education Research (CaNDER) and South Asian Approaches to Researching Education (SaareNetwork). Her grant portfolio demonstrates exceptional partnership with international agencies including the World Bank, UNESCO, and MasterCard Foundation, focusing on projects like the Girls Education Challenge Fund evaluation and Ethiopia's Inclusive Education Resource Centres. Current initiatives explore teacher effectiveness in African secondary schools and disability-inclusive education during humanitarian crises.

Her research infrastructure includes CaNDER, which connects Global South stakeholders to advance disability-inclusive education scholarship, and active collaboration with international networks like UKFIET and UNPRPD to shape policy frameworks that center lived experiences of disabled learners.