Dr Vanessa Cui
Dr Vanessa Cui is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Birmingham City University Centre for the Study of Practices and Culture in Education (CSPACE). Her research work has mainly focused on the interface between education policy and practice from educators’ and learners’ perspectives across fields of education (e.g. teacher education, higher education, further education) in the UK and internationally. In particular, Vanessa’s work focuses on educational policies and practices that promote and enhance inclusivity thus working with learners and practitioners from diverse social and cultural backgrounds has been a key feature of Vanessa’s work. She is highly experienced in researching with learners and educators using a range of social research methodologies and has successfully led the design, delivery and evaluation of funded studies (see details of funded projects below).
Vanessa is also experienced in research public engagement and impact activities as the impact lead of her research group and impact co-ordinator of her research centre. She works with a wide range of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, policy influencers and community leads to share and implement research outputs into educational policies and practices. She is currently the project impact and dissemination lead for a number of funded international projects work with education practitioners such as the British Council funded 'Teacher Education Digital Hub' project working with Vietnamese teacher educators; and the Erasmus funded 'Collaborative, Community mapping of young people's learning experiences during COVID-19' project working with school leaders, teachers, young people, communities and artists from England, Greece, Hungry, Germany and the Netherland. A number projects Vanessa co-investigated has delivered policy impact. For example, findings from the UCU funded ‘HE staff’s awareness, understanding and involvement in the Teaching Excellence Framework’ project were used as one of the main source of evidence in the Dame Shirley Pearce’s Independent Review on the TEF to the UK Government, published in 2021. She has also successfully led funded education public engagement activities, such as the nationwide Being Human Festival, with local community organisations (e.g. Library of Birmingham) and schools.