Our people

Bridget Azubuike

Alumni, 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.

Aigerim Bayanbayeva

Alumni, CHET

Email: di18366@bristol.ac.uk

Dr Aigerim Bayanbayeva holds an EdD in Education from the University of Bristol. Previously, she earned a Master of Laws, LLM (Hon), and a Bachelor of Laws, LLB (Hon) from the Kazakh State Law Academy, Kazakhstan.

Her research broadly focuses on global higher education issues, specifically on the influence of global university rankings on HEIs. Under the supervision of Professor Richard Watermeyer, her doctoral dissertation titled “Exploring the perspectives of academic and senior management staff on the Influence of global university rankings in the higher education context of Kazakhstan” sheds light on this critical area.

Anthony Friel

Alumni, 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.

Completed a Doctorate in Education: Leadership, Learning & Policy at the University of Bristol (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.

Yi-Hsuan Irene Huang

Alumni, CHET

Email: yihsuan.huang@bristol.ac.uk | yh.huang.ac@gmail.com

Irene earned her PhD in Education from the University of Bristol in February 2025. Her dissertation, “Convergence or Divergence? Strategies for Internationalisation of the Taiwanese Higher Education System,” applies an institutional logics approach to explore how government policy shapes and informs the internationalisation strategies of different universities.

Her research interests include global higher education policy, the intersection of higher education internationalisation and educational (in)equality, international student mobility, and the application of neo-institutionalism in education research. Her work has been published in leading academic journals, including Higher Education and Higher Education Research & Development.

Agung Nugroho

Alumni, CHET

Email: nugroho.education@gmail.com or nugroho_education@yahoo.com.au

Expert in teaching, curriculum development, educational assessment, and research related to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Agung is an experienced university lecturer teaching in private and public universities in Indonesia and the UK. He is also skilled in negotiation, marketing, public speaking, product presentation, and conferences.

Agung is committed to providing meaningful learning for students and developing institutional excellence. His dissertation research is related to Internationalization of Indonesian Higher Education, which focuses on the impacts of overseas study programs in the country. His research interests are associated with the fields of internationalization of higher education, teaching, bilingual education, internationalized curriculum, work and project-based learning, transnational education, and international students’ mobility.

Eileen Sepulveda

Alumni, CHET

Email: es15799@alumni.bristol.ac.uk

Eileen is a lecturer in Education (curriculum theory and design). Her research concerns students’ lived experiences of higher education, intercultural interactions, inequalities, and social justice. She is interested in the connections between historical, academic, spatial, and sociocultural inequalities and how students may overcome these, while transiting in multiple identities.

Eileen is interested in the use of digital technology in a range of different educational settings following an inclusive and just vision of it. The use of technology in health, particularly in telemedicine and digital health in rural and isolated areas, is also part of her interest. Currently, she is also working in the Telemedicine and Telehealth Regional Center of Biobío, Chile, particularly in the education area.

Currently, Eileen is also working in the educational area of the Telemedicine and Telehealth Regional Center of Biobío, Chile. Her multi-disciplinary academic and professional background enables her to approach technology, education and health from a human-centred perspective, analysing and creating teaching strategies and developing strategies for digital health literacies with a diverse range of populations, including underrepresented communities and older adults.

Rentauli Silalahi

Alumni, CHET

Email: rs17190@bristol.ac.uk

Rentauli Mariah Silalahi is a lecturer in English at Institut Teknologi Del in Indonesia. She began teaching at the university after completing her undergraduate studies in 2005. In 2010, she obtained her master’s degree from Monash University, Australia, specializing in TESOL – international.

Rentauli earned her EdD in Education, Learning Leadership, and Policy from the University of Bristol, England, in 2024. Her research interests include global higher education, English language assessment, education policy, learning, and the evaluation of educational quality and improvement.

Rentauli is dedicated to teaching English to university students in Indonesia, actively engaging in teaching and mentoring. She strives to empower her students with the English skills necessary for international competition and goal achievement.

Beyond her academic pursuits, Rentauli enjoys sports such as badminton and table tennis, occasionally participating in local events. She also collaborates with her fellow lecturers to provide training and services to the local community.

Tongyu Wu

Alumni, CHET

Email: llrstongyu@outlook.com

Tongyu is a research fellow at the Center for World-Class Universities within the School of Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. His research explores students’ lived experiences in higher education, focusing on embodiment in educational transitions, the interplay between rurality and HE, issues of epistemic injustice, and the pursuit of research excellence within world-class universities.

Tongyu is dedicated to illuminating marginalised groups’ agency and cultural productions in educational settings, believing that being at the margins can offer a powerful gateway for potential, growth, and radical openness. Methodologically, he is interested in creatively employing narrative approaches to educational research. In 2024, he was awarded the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) — Prize for Newer Researchers for his project Rurality and Ethnicity in Transition: The Higher Education Experiences of Rural Tibetan Undergraduates at Urban Universities.

Alice Yau Lai Fun

Alumni, CHET

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

Dr Alice Yau Lai Fun is passionate in the fields of psychology, counselling and education. Alice holds a doctorate degree in Education from the University of Bristol. Previously, she received both bachelor degree in psychology and master degree in counselling from the University of 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.