Dr Alicja Syska – Editor-in-Chief
Dr Alicja Syska is a Lecturer in Humanities and Education at the University of Plymouth, where she previously also held a decade-long post in Learning Development. She has a Ph.D. in American Studies from Saint Louis University, USA, is a Principal Fellow of Advance HE (PFHEA), and an ALDinHE Senior Fellow. Her interests include writing, community building, Third Space identity, and researcher development. She also co-hosts the Learning Development Project podcast.
Dr Chad McDonald – Managing Editor
Dr Chad McDonald is a Senior Academic and Study Skills Tutor at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he manages a team of nine learning developers. He previously taught academic literacies at the Universities of Bristol and Chester. Much of his work has focused on students who are at transition points in higher education, especially in arts and humanities disciplines. He has been a member of LearnHigher’s working group since 2021 and ALDinHE’s Professional Recognition working group since 2023. Chad joined the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education’s editorial board in 2024. He is an Advance HE Senior Fellow (SFHEA) and an ALDinHE Certified Leading Practitioner (CeLP). Chad occasionally tweets about learning development using @Chad_McDonald.
Dr Katharine Jewitt – Technical and Production Editor
Dr Katharine Jewitt is an Associate Lecturer at The Open University, a Researcher and Consultant. She also works as a Validator with the Digital Schools Company to guide and implement its ongoing strategy to promote digital skills in Nursery / Primary / Special Education / Secondary schools & organisations. Her role focuses on maximising the opportunities offered by digital technology in education. Working with educational leaders and practitioners, Katharine builds their confidence and assists them to embed digital skills in their everyday learning and advising on areas where progress can be made. She has a Ph.D in Virtual Reality and is a Fellow of Advance HE. Katharine is Co-Chair of the UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab for Education and Digital Skills. She is former Chair of the Evaluation of Learners’ Experiences of e-learning Special Interest Group (ELESIG) and the UK Digital Learning Community of Practice. Katharine is the Administrator and Web Developer for the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education and Technical and Production Editor for the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. Katharine posts at BlueSky, LinkedIn and X.
Amy Sampson – Section Editor
Amy Sampson is Associate Director for Online Learning at University of Greenwich, she joined the editorial board in December 2022. She is passionate about creative arts education and has worked in HE for 19 years covering a variety of digital education and technical roles. Her work has received recognition including winning the 2023 UCISA Supporting Excellence in Learning Teaching and Research award. Amy’s experience spans learning design, online course development, technical implementation and content production. She is a Principal Fellow of Advance HE, Senior Certified Member of the Association for Learning Technology, holds an MA in Creative Education and reviews for two other educational journals. Amy can be found on Bluesky under @amysampson.bsky.social
Dr Carina Buckley – Section Editor
Dr Carina Buckley joined the Steering Group in 2012 and was Co-Chair 2015–2021. She came into learning development almost by accident after gaining a PhD in Archaeology in 2006, and is currently Instructional Design Manager at Solent University, responsible for leading on the development of the VLE as a student-centred learning space. Her research interests focus on collaboration and community in LD, and how these impact and are impacted by our professional identities, particularly in terms of emotion and imposter syndrome. She is an Advance HE Principal Fellow and a Certified Leading Practitioner in Learning Development.
Dr Craig Morley – Section Editor
Dr Craig Morley is an Academic Developer at Manchester Metropolitan University with a background in Ancient History. He joined the editorial board of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education in 2018. Craig’s own research interests focus on academic reading, embedding strategies and social learning; he has published articles and presented at conferences on these subjects. He completed his PhD in Ancient History at the University of Liverpool in 2015 and earned Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2020.
Dr Lee Fallin – Section Editor
Dr Lee Fallin works as a Lecturer in Education Studies and MA Programme Director for the School of Education at the University of Hull. He has ten years of experience working as a Learning Developer for the University Library and is an ALDinHE Certified Leading Practitioner (CeLP). Lee is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Certified Member of ALT, an NVivo Certified Expert, a Microsoft Certified Educator and a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert. Lee has an EdD in Education, a PG Cert in eLearning, a PG Cert in Academic Practice and a BA (Hons) in Geography. His research interests focus on the intersections between education and geography, inclusive of physical and digital spaces. His specific interests include learning spaces and communities, inclusive digital practice, SENDI education, higher education, research methodologies and geographies of place. Lee joined the LHWG and JLDHE Editorial Board in 2022. You can find him on X as @LeeFallin.
Dr Maggie Scott – Section Editor
Dr Maggie Scott is Associate Dean Academic (Quality Assurance and Enhancement) for the School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology at the University of Salford. She has a PhD in Linguistics from Glasgow University and an MBA from the University of Salford, and is a former editor of Nomina, the journal of the Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland, and a current member of the Editorial Board for Names, the Journal of the American Name Society. Her research interests include the history and lexicography of the English and Scots languages, and academic leadership and governance in Higher Education.
Dr Laura Barnett – Section Editor
Dr Laura Barnett is a Lecturer in Higher Education at the University of Surrey. She has expertise in higher education learning and teaching through her roles in faculty teaching, academic and student learning development roles at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), University of Roehampton, and the University of Surrey. Laura obtained her PhD in Cultural Studies at CCCU. Laura’s research expertise and pedagogical approaches embodied in her teaching practice relate to the sociology of higher education, including inequalities in education, inclusive education, and social justice. Laura is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE.
Laura Dyer – Section Editor
Laura Dyer is a lecturer in English for Academic Purposes at the University of Leeds. She holds a Master’s in TESOL and FHEA. She is currently writing her monograph A Humanistic Approach to English for Academic Purposes Pedagogy: People, Place, Compassion, Power to be published by Palgrave MacMillan. Her research interests focus on philosophical approaches to pedagogy, pedagogical innovations, inclusivity and integrating GenAI into pedagogy and assessment. She has extensive experience of working with students from a wide variety of disciplines, particularly STEM.
Dr Vic Boyd – Section Editor
Dr Vic Boyd is Head of the Learning & Teaching Academy at City of Glasgow College. Her research and practice interests focus on intersectional student identity, technophenomenology and learner-led writing development initiatives. Vic’s doctoral research explored the impact of unintentional discourses of exclusion in HE on identity negotiation in learners with fluctuating or recurring impairments. Vic has also researched and published on work-based learning, academic practitioner development, student digital confidence and compassionate practice.
Dr Joshua Wang – Assistant Editor
Dr Joshua Wang is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Research Training and Meta-Research at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital and a Visiting Fellow in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Prior to relocating to Taiwan, he worked in Australian higher education for nine years, most recently (2020-2023) in the third space as the STEM Educator (Chemistry) in QUT’s Learning and Teaching Unit. His teaching and research focus on supporting diverse cohorts in the biological and health sciences. His educational research also examines injustice in doctoral education and scholarly publishing. He holds a PhD in Neuroplasticity, a Master of Education, a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary and Adult Education, a Graduate Certificate in Flexible Learning and Simulation for Health Professionals and FHEA status.
Dr Paula Villegas – Assistant Editor
Dr Paula Villegas is an Associate Lecturer at the University of St Andrews and Director of the Academic English Service, where she leads a dedicated team supporting students’ academic and language development. Previously, she worked at the University of Sheffield, collaborating closely with academic departments on English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and academic literacies. Paula holds an EdD focused on Flipped Learning in the online environment, and her research explores innovative pedagogies and navigating higher education. In 2024, she joined the editorial board of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education and is recognized as a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA). You can connect with Paula on X (@PaulaWerdu), BlueSky (@dr-paula-villegas.bsky.social), or explore her research on her PURE profile.
Dr Steve Briggs – Assistant Editor
Dr Steve Briggs leads the Academy for Learning and Teaching Excellence at the University of Bedfordshire. In this role he works with colleagues from across the University on strategic and enhancement initiatives related to all areas of Academy work (including teaching and learning, academic development, learning development, digital learning, education and student experience evaluation and students as partners). He has previously contributed to the authorship of institutional TEF and APP submissions. Steve was previously the Co-Chair of the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education where he led national work related to professional recognition and networking events. He is currently a committee member of the Association for National Teaching Fellows and contributing to the ‘In it Together’ project. Steve is a Chartered Psychologist, National Teaching Fellow (2020) and PFHEA.