Colleagues successful in 2026 Recognition of Distinction exercise

Ian Thompson, named Professor of Inclusive Education, who is currently the Interim Director of the Rees Centre, has led numerous interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects on the vital issue in education of inclusion.

He currently leads on the projects Picture This: The Robson Orr Visual Literacy Research Initiative and The Enactment of Part-time Timetables in English Schools and he is the education lead on the project BrainWaves led by the Department of Psychiatry.

Externally recent funded projects include Excluded Lives: The Political Economies of School Exclusion and their Consequences (ESRC).

On receiving the title, Professor Thompson said: “I am extremely pleased that my research in the field of inclusive education has been recognised in this way. The thread throughout my research and academic writing has been a focus on inclusive education which I redefine to go beyond the specific issue of inclusion of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities to refer to the education of all marginalised and disadvantaged students.”

David Mills, Professor of Higher Education, is the Director for the Centre for Global Higher Education and has a particular interest in how society’s fixation with rankings is changing university cultures and scholarly values.

His work focuses on the politics and economics of academic publishing and its potential for nurturing an equitable, diverse, and inclusive global research ecosystem.

Professor Mills said: “It is an honour to have my contributions to scholarship recognised in this way.  I have chosen an unusual path, using anthropology to research higher education.”

Ariel Lindorff, Professor of Equity in Education, undertakes research focusing on educational effectiveness and equity across pre-school, primary and secondary education.

Her work examines how education systems, schools and classrooms – including the processes, interactions, policies and interventions within them – relate to educational outcomes for children and young people.

Professor Lindorff said: “I am honoured to receive this recognition and deeply grateful to the wonderful colleagues who have supported and shaped my work, as well as to the students I have been fortunate to teach, learn from, and learn with over the years.”

Steven Puttick, Professor of Geography Education, researches at the intersection between the academic discipline and school subject of geography.

His work includes three progress reports on Geographical Education, exploring fields, interactions and relationships, anti-racist and decolonial futures, and climate change education.

Professor Puttick said: “It is a huge honour to have my work recognised in this way. I first came to the Department as a PGCE Geography student, and I have been engaged with geography and education ever since, including teaching in schools and through research focused on climate change education, and on the relationships between academic disciplines and school subjects. I am very grateful to everyone who has supported me, and I am also thrilled to be the first Professor of Geography Education at Oxford!”