Danielle is a DPhil student researching how Black-British doctoral students navigate the spaces of the elite, providing a new theoretical framework to understand their agency better.
Her main interests are in Human Flourishing, Cultural Geography, Psychology, and Justice, and her work aims to inform and reform educational frameworks and practices.
Following Danielle’s BSc in Psychology and MRes in Research Methods in Psychology, she founded a social enterprise that merges psychological and academic strategies to guide undergraduate and master’s students study practices. In addition to this, Danielle provided pedagogical and behavioural support across SEN college, secondary and primary schools.
Some of Danielle’s notable work includes her research introducing a new University-wide EDI strategy at her former Higher Education institution, presenting insights and way-forwards on youth homelessness to HRH Prince Williams, and providing discipleship to next-gen leaders.
Yushan Xie is a Doctoral student in education and a Clarendon scholar at the University of Oxford. Her research is fully funded by the Clarendon Fund and Brasenose College.
Her research focuses on the self-formation of students of rural backgrounds in universities in China, against the backdrop of higher education massification, urbanisation and digitalisation.
Prior to Oxford, Yushan worked as a social entrepreneur in rural Hunan Province and educational policy researcher which enabled her to conduct health and education intervention research in the rural west of China, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces. She also gained professional experience in working as a youth culture researcher in a leading Chinese consulting firm.
Yushan completed her MPhil in Education from Cambridge University where she was awarded a ‘Best Dissertation Award’ from the Faculty and the ‘Special Commendation Award’ from the British Council ELT Master’s Dissertation Competition. She holds a BA in Translation from Nankai University in China during which she was awarded the National Scholarship from the Ministry of Education.
Publications
Xie, Y. & Liu. Y. (2021). Who do you hand out with? How Chinese students’ social networks relate to perceived oral proficiency gains during study abroad experiences. Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education, 6(1), 59-90.
Kexin is a Doctoral student in higher education at the Department of Education.
Kexin’s research interest lies in the global scientific system and the internationalisation of social sciences, with a special focus on international research collaborations and epistemic injustice.
Prior to her Doctoral study, Kexin obtained her M.Sc degree (Higher Education) with Distinction at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. In her master’s project, Kexin explored the patterns and dynamics in the China-UK collaborations in education research through bibliometric analysis and interviews. Under the supervision by Dr. Xin Xu, Kexin’s master study demonstrated the development trajectory, external and internal motivations, and the potential challenges in China-UK collaboration practices.
Kexin will further the master’s project in her doctoral studies under the supervision of Professor Simon Marginson and Professor Alis Oancea. She will investigate the internationalisation of social sciences in China and Europe through a comparative lens.
Elena Tsvetkova is a doctoral student in the Department of Education conducting research in the field of Higher Education. Elena is a recipient of the Hill Foundation Scholarship, and she works under the supervision of Professor Alis Oancea and Professor Simon Marginson.
Before joining the DPhil programme, she obtained a Specialist degree in Linguistics and Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages and Cultures (Hons) from Moscow State Linguistic University and an MA in Educational Leadership (Distinction) from the University of Manchester.
Currently, Elena’s research interests lie in the realm of educational policy and practice, in particular excellence initiatives and university rankings, academic work and teaching & learning in higher education.
Publications
Tsvetkova, E., & Lomer, S. (2019). Academic excellence as “competitiveness enhancement” in Russian higher education. International Journal of Comparative Education and Development.
Darta is a DPhil student pursuing research in the field of global higher education.
Darta has a diverse academic and professional background. She holds a 1st class BA(Hons) degree in Finance and Business and a MSc in Education (Leadership and Policy). She has strengthened her academic achievements through research assistantships as well as working in financial accounting. Her journey has developed a global perspective and instigated academic curiosity regarding university global engagement.
Darta is particularly interested in understanding global flows within higher education as well as addressing the gap in literature on what constitutes a global higher education institution. Darta’s research explores global universities as through the lenses of social space and social networks. Her approach will employ creative, grounded methods to understand the global imaginary.
Wanlin Cai is a DPhil student in higher education and a member of CGHE research group at the Department of Education.
Wanlin’s research interest lies in international higher education, higher education policies and economy, with a specific focus on World-Class Universities.
She is also a member of South China Global Talent Institute, Center for China and Globalisation, where she focuses on the research of talent policy and development in the Great Bay Area in China.
Prior to her beginning as a DPhil student, Wanlin read for the M.Sc in Higher Education at the University of Oxford and the M.Sc in Management and Enterprise Growth at the University of Glasgow.
McQueen is a Clarendon Scholar and is currently reading for a DPhil in Education at the University of Oxford. Her thesis focuses on the digital pedagogy responses of universities in East Asia to the COVID-19 outbreak. Her doctoral research is fully funded by the Clarendon and New College Scholarships.
McQueen is a member of the Centre for Global Higher Education. Her research interests include higher education, e-learning, and learning technologies. Her research interests are influenced by her experiences of working as an academic tutor at the University of Hong Kong and a researcher for Khan Academy and HarvardX (edX).
Prior to coming to Oxford, McQueen completed her master’s degree with a specialisation in media and learning technologies at Teachers College, Columbia University in the City of New York. She earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy and international business at the University of Hong Kong with a full merit-based scholarship.
Antonin’s research is directed towards global regionalisms in higher education with a specific interest in transnational university alliances. He is currently investigating the pilot phases of the European Universities Initiative, as well as other regional higher education and research networks.
Antonin has just completed an MSc in Comparative and International Education at the department. Prior to joining Oxford, he coordinated international projects at the crossroads of education, culture and social action for various not-for-profit organizations based in France. He also obtained an MA in Film and Philosophy and a BA in Film Studies from King’s College London.