Maia Chankseliani and Velda Elliott become Professors

Maia Chankseliani has been named Professor of Comparative and International Education and Velda Elliott has been named Professor of English and Education.

Professor Chankseliani’s research explores the public role of tertiary education in diverse settings, examining how universities contribute to social, economic, and political development, and how international engagement shapes both institutions and societies. She convenes the Comparative and International Education Research Group and recently completed the International Mobility and World Development project, which was the first global mixed-methods project to examine how international education contributes to societal development.

On receiving the title, Professor Chankseliani said: “I am grateful for this recognition of work that spans borders and disciplines. Comparative and international education is not only about studying systems elsewhere; it is also a way of rethinking what is possible in our own.

“Becoming Professor is a moment to reaffirm the importance of rigorous, socially engaged scholarship that asks public questions — how universities matter, for whom, and under what conditions — and to continue asking what responsibilities universities carry in a changing world, and how they might live up to them.”

Professor Elliott’s work engages with the ways in which we teach and assess literature, and how books and society interact. She is particularly interested in questions of equity and representation, and unsettling imperialist legacies in the English curriculum. She co-convenes the Race, Coloniality and Education Research Group and has led two research reports on the Lit In Colour campaign, which showed the positive impact of more students studying a text by an author of colour on engagement, interest and empathy within schools.

Professor Elliott said: “It’s very gratifying to be ‘recognised’ with professorial title. I am really touched by all the messages I’ve received from students, former students and colleagues. I continue to feel incredibly lucky that I get to teach, read and write for a living.”