Our people

Alya Al-Hashmi

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: aa14719@bristol.ac.uk

Alya Al-Hashmi is currently in my fourth year of pursuing a PhD at Bristol University. Her research interests are centred on quality assurance in higher education, specifically focusing on its impact on the roles and identities of academics. She is particularly interested in understanding how quality assurance policies intersect with academic practices and influence broader educational systems and student experiences.

Alya’s research examines the effects of quality assurance on academics in Omani universities, with the goal of offering insights that can enhance policies and practices in Omani universities. Ultimately, her aim is to contribute to enhance the quality of education at Higher education through her research.

Bakhyt Altynbassov

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: gr19948@bristol.ac.uk

Bakhyt Altynbassov’s interest in corporate governance in higher education arose when he began working on his PhD in Law dissertation titled Legal issues of the educational process in Kazakhstan: theoretical and practical aspects, which he successfully defended in 2008 in Kazakhstan.

Bakhyt supervised several research projects on state grant funding, including: Enhancing the current legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan in higher and postgraduate education, and Legal aspect of the transformation of state universities into non-profit organisations in Kazakhstan. Additionally, he has been involved in several research projects to develop proposals for modifying and complementing the present HE legislation in Kazakhstan.

As PhD associate professor Bakhyt worked as deputy dean of the Law Faculty and head of the Department of Theory of State and Law of the Law faculty of Eurasian National University, named after L.N. Gumilyev. During the period between 2012 and 2015, he served as the director of the Research Centre for Educational Legislation, named after academic S. Zimanov at the university.

Bakhyt’s publications include around 130 research papers in Kazakh, Russian, and English, most of them related to educational law, legal regulation of HE and research, university corporate governance, the legal status of higher education institutions, and privatisation in HE.

Bridget Azubuike

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: bridget.azubuike@bristol.ac.uk

Bridget Azubuike is an economist and researcher with over a decade of professional experience. She completed a PhD in Advanced Quantitative Methods at the University of Bristol’s School of Education and holds a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Sussex. Her PhD research investigated the individual, community, and state-level inequalities in educational opportunities at secondary and higher education levels in Nigeria using multilevel modelling.

Bridget has worked with academic institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international research organizations like the University of Oxford, The Education Partnership Centre, and Oxford Policy Management.

Bridget has a track record of expertise in quantitative research design, data collection, and analysis, and has successfully led the implementation of multiple research initiatives, including large-scale surveys and learning assessment projects. Her research interests include inequalities in educational opportunities, particularly examining sociodemographic background, access, and learning disparities in post-basic education, employability skills acquisition, and widening participation in higher education, including access, experience, and transitions, particularly in low-middle income countries.

Rodolfo Benites

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: rodolfo.benites@bristol.ac.uk

Rodolfo Benites is a doctoral researcher and a research associate at the Centre for Higher Education Transformations at the University of Bristol. His research interests include equity policies, stratification, and funding in higher education, technical and vocational education, and training in the world of work, meritocracy, and social justice.

For his Ph.D. project, Rodolfo explores the relationship between meritocracy and higher education by studying the academic experiences of working-class students in elite universities.

Rodolfo has more than ten years of experience in public policy, governance, higher education in the public sector, and international cooperation. He has an M.A. in Public Policy from King’s College London and a B.A. in Political Science and Government from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

Beth Cummings

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: beth.cummings@swansea.ac.uk

Beth Cummings is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Swansea University School of Management and is currently the Employability Lead for the school. She is a EdD candidate in Education: Learning, Leadership and Policy at Bristol University and holds an MSc in Marketing from University of Wales.

Beth is a Chartered Marketer and Vice Chair on the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Wales regional board, responsible for education and professional pathways. Her current research interests focus on employability and developing pedagogical practices that support this. Her most recent research has focused on regional development, purposeful ecosystems and the Well Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

Beth’s marketing interests focus on sustainability, consumer insights, branding and social media. She is particularly interested in the impact of social media on body image and wellbeing.

Lara Dzabolova

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: ld16691@bristol.ac.uk

Lara is a doctoral researcher at the School of Education, University of Bristol. Her research interests include sustainable futures, issues of social justice in relation to environmental crisis, politics of climate change, history of universities, the relationship between higher education institutions and climate crisis, as well as gender studies and queer theory.

Their PhD research looks at how/whether students and climate movements in universities in authoritarian regimes retain their autonomy and create spaces for resistance to mobilise universities towards sustainable futures. Lara also aims to explore how such climate movements can be supported by universities, climate groups and organisations internationally. Her research partners include Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, Climate Students Movement, and UNESCO Chair for the Training of Sustainable Development Professionals at Bordeaux Montaigne University.

Lara is a Master’s graduate of the School of Education, University of Bristol (2018, with distinction). Since graduation and before starting her PhD, Lara worked at a local university in her hometown Vladikavkaz, where they initiated and lead a volunteering climate movement Sansara, and founded one of the first Centres for Sustainable Development at a university in the country. The Centre worked closely with UN World Tourism Organisation and UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, as well as several European universities, on introducing climate change education into the curriculum. Lara also worked as a teacher trainer on addressing climate change and social inequalities in the classroom.

Outside of academia, Lara is a book, music and coffee lover, an amateur creative writer and an occasional traveller.

Anthony Friel

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: afriel@rcsi.com

Anthony is currently a lecturer in communications, culture, and leadership at Royal College Surgeons Ireland, bringing over a decade of experience in teaching. He spent six years at Bahrain Polytechnic as a lecturer, overseeing web communications, digital marketing, and entrepreneurship, and coordinating work-integrated learning in the Web Media Department.

Anthony founded and led Friel Marketing Solutions for five years after managing public relations and marketing at Flexhaven Ltd. for six years. Earlier roles at South East Technological University included Associate Lecturer, Football Coach, Students’ Union President, and Activity Officer.

Currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education: Leadership, Learning & Policy, submitted to Bristol University (2024), Anthony earned a Master of Philosophy in communication and reputation management at Technological University Dublin (2013). He holds a BA in Communications and Public Relations (2008) and BSc in Computer Networking (2003) from South East Technological University.

Anthony’s research interests include work-integrated learning, education assessment, teaching pedagogy, communications and culture, and leadership.

Minyan Hiam

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: m.hiam@bristol.ac.uk

Specialising in global partnerships and intercultural communication, Minyan’s research interests centre on the significance of academic visitor programmes in driving knowledge transfer within the context of practice-based and practice-led pedagogy in higher arts education.

Drawing from her extensive experience in International Trade and Investment, along with over a decade of experience in the higher education sector, spanning professional support services and teaching roles, Minyan brings a wealth of insight to her scholarly and entrepreneurial pursuits.

Recognising the transformative potential of collaboration, she has founded the Centre for International Visiting Artists and Scholars (IVAS) to advocate cross-disciplinary exchange and advance cultural dialogue. Her efforts highlight the importance of international connections in enriching academic discourse and promoting mutual learning.

Yi-Hsuan Irene Huang

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: yihsuan.huang@bristol.ac.uk

Yi-Hsuan Irene Huang is a PhD candidate at the School of Education, University of Bristol. Her research interests are in higher education policy and the internationalisation of higher education in East Asia. Her dissertation concerns how government policies affect the internationalisation strategies of different universities in Taiwan through the lens of institutional logic.

In addition to her dissertation, Irene analyses the current state of international student mobility using quantitative methods. She also critically examines the impact of Taiwan’s bilingual education policy on the structural (in)equality of the higher education system. Her research has recently been published in journals such as Higher Education and Higher Education Research and Development.

Miaomiao Jia

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: jiam7@cardiff.ac.uk

Miaomiao Jia is pursuing a PhD in Education (Educational Sociology) with support from the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC). She holds a master’s degree in education (Policy and International Development) from the University of Bristol, graduating with First Class Honours. Her research focuses on international student mobility, graduate employability, labour market dynamics, and inequalities in international higher education, with a particular emphasis on how digital technologies impact these areas. She is actively engaged in online seminars hosted by CGHE, BERA, and SRHE, which align with her research interests.

Miaomiao has published several research articles in journals such as Educational Studies and presented at various international conferences, including The Asian Conference on Education and the International Geographical Congress (IGC). In addition to her research, she teaches “SI0420: Becoming a Social Scientist” as a Seminar Lecturer, holds the highest level of Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) certification, and has extensive experience teaching Japanese. Her international volunteer work has enriched her cultural perspectives. She is also a Gender and Sexualities Postgraduate Representative and contributes to the COST Action CA20115 Working Groups.

Ainur Suranchina

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: be18339@bristol.ac.uk

Ainur Suranchina is a first-year PhD student with a research focus on exploring university senior management experiences in transforming higher education institutions in Kazakhstan. She holds an MSc in Education Management from the University of Bristol, UK, and an MA in Translation Studies, as well as a BEd in Two Foreign Languages (English and Japanese) from the Kazakh Ablai Khan University of International Relations and World Languages, Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Her research interests include qualitative research, the Student Voice in education, and the enhancement of teaching and learning in higher education, with a particular emphasis on educational leadership and management. Her MSc dissertation, titled “Learning from students’ voices: an exploration of undergraduates’ experiences of teaching and learning in the classrooms in Kazakhstan,” reflects her commitment to understanding and improving student experiences in academic settings.
Before commencing her doctoral studies, Ainur held significant roles in the higher education sector, including Acting Dean, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, and Senior Lecturer. She has extensive experience in educational management and teaching and expertise in implementing student representation projects and conducting teacher training workshops. Recently, she has contributed as a part-time Student Voice coordinator for a project aimed at enhancing student engagement and satisfaction and as a language expert in English language teaching and teacher training for a UNICEF project. These roles have provided her with deep insights into academic management and leadership, which she now aims to further explore through her doctoral research.

Ainur is also a Bolashak scholarship holder, having been awarded this prestigious scholarship in 2016 for her MSc studies and again in 2023 for her PhD studies. She is fluent in Kazakh, Russian, and English, with a foundational knowledge of Japanese.

Nga Than

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: tt1161@bristol.ac.uk

Ms Nga Tran is a doctoral researcher at the School of Education, University of Bristol, specialising in higher education policy, management, and governance. Her ongoing PhD thesis focuses on governance reform in higher education and its impacts on the status and nature of public universities in Vietnam. Using neo-institutional theory and social justice theory, she aims to examine how autonomous public universities in Vietnam are changing and redefining their roles. Ms. Nga Tran’s research seeks to inform policy decisions and institutional practices of change.

Before coming to Bristol, Nga was a lecturer at the Faculty of Education, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU-HCM, Vietnam. She was involved in small-scale projects focusing on quality assurance, teaching and learning in higher education, social innovation, and active citizenship.

Nga is also passionate about initiatives to improve the student experience and promote equity in higher education.

Alice Yau Lai Fun

Doctoral researcher, CHET

Email: happy_yau_2001@yahoo.com or happyay2013@gmail.com

Alice Yau Lai Fun is passionate in the fields of psychology, counselling and education. She received both bachelors degree in psychology and masters degree in counselling) from the University of Hong Kong. Currently, she is pursuing a doctorate degree in education and exploring the career identity constructions of university graduates in Hong Kong.

Expertise

With more than 15 years of work experience in student development (higher education), she has developed expertise and is committed in:

• Counselling (psychological and career)
• Career education
• Student development
• Leadership training
• Overseas learning experiences (work attachment and service learning)

Alice also  worked in the Education Bureau before serving universities. Her main duties included research work of education policies and implementation of education reforms in local schools.

In addition, Alice is a seasoned counsellor, hypnotherapist (US), and associate fellow of Hong Kong Professional Counselling Association. She hopes to do more meaningful and impactful work in higher education and student development, via her multifaceted roles in research, teaching and counselling services.