Staff Profiles

Alison is an education specialist with a proven track-record of strategic and educational leadership; curriculum design and innovation; approaches to pedagogy which increase access and inclusive learning; and collaborative partnerships. She has expertise in bringing education and employers together to benefit students, communities and the economy.  

Her first appointment to Newcastle University was as David Goldman Visiting Professor of Innovation and Enterprise at Newcastle University Business School. She used this role to establish strategic partnership initiatives for NUBS. She also led work with NUBS and the North Leadership Centre to support business engagement and mentoring; and she provided entrepreneurship and business opportunities for students. 

In her current Prof. of Practice role at the University she works with colleagues and students across our 3 Faculties and Student Services to support inclusive educational practice and help embed well-designed approaches to the evaluation of their impact. Until recently she was also the institutional lead for the University's Access and Participation Plan. She set up the Inclusive Newcastle Knowledge Centre (INKC) along with research colleagues to support the development and evaluation of the commitments embodied in the Plan and help us better understand the impact and effectiveness of our equity and inclusivity work. The INKC has enabled the University better to understand our diverse student body and to develop mechanisms and a culture by which we can work more closely with the wider student body.

She has supported the development of the Engagement and Place Strategy; participated in the launch of the University’s Vision and Strategy in India; and she works with University partners to further the aim of increasing equity, social mobility and social justice through our education, research and impact work. She represents the University on the Newcastle City Council Children’s Partnership Board. She led the student workstream for our successful Race Equality Charter submission; designed the Education for Life Framework, which contributed to our Silver TEF Award; and sits on the Environment and Sustainability Committee as the Senate representative member.

Alison holds a number of non-exec roles nationally and in the North East: As a former Trustee and now Vice-President of NFER, she has seen this nationally important organisation go from strength to strength. Her local non-executive roles include Vice-Chair of Education Partnership North East, Chair of Helix Arts and Director of The Common Room of the Great North.