Can you tell us about your research and any other research you’re contributing to?
I am a sociologist with a PhD in Education from the Institute of Education, University College London (IoE, UCL). Since 2017, I have participated in the Edge Foundation's Emerging Researcher Network (ERN). My expertise spans educational policy, social representations in education, equitable and inclusive education, and initial teacher training. With over a decade of experience in academic management and research, I have contributed to numerous projects and studies across various educational domains. My career is driven by a commitment to improving students' educational experience at different educational levels through informed research and collaborative leadership. I am passionate about working in academic institutions or research centres and am focused on finding strategies to promote inclusive and quality education.
My PhD research explored how bias, prejudice and stereotypes can impede the development of quality education in disadvantaged secondary schools in Chile. I utilised the social representations theory and an interpretative epistemological and qualitative methodological approach to do this. I conducted focus groups, interviews and lesson observations in four secondary schools. My findings show the necessity of reflecting and questioning the stereotypes that underline social representations of the student-teacher relationship, which could damage the quality of education and hinder pedagogic practices from being more inclusive.