Alisha qualified as as a Mental Health Nurse in 2014 and has since worked in multiple universities across the UK. She is passionate about working with students in Higher Education, and enjoys being part of the student journey, supporting their health, wellbeing and personal development.

Amelia is a social scientist with a background in policy and consulting. She studies education reforms with a focus on social, geographic and labour market inequalities. Prior to LIS, Amelia taught courses on education policy and research methods at LSE. She received her PhD from Harvard and her BA from Oxford. She grew up in London and is grateful to be raising her daughter there.

Anastasia holds a BSc (hons) in French and Mathematics from the University of Leeds. Whilst at Leeds, she was course representative, active in ensuring inclusivity, accessibility, and wellbeing support for students. Anastasia has worked in several care and pastoral roles over the years and recently completed a master’s degree in Psychology, achieving a distinction.

Andrew grew Funding Circle (UK Fintech unicorn) from an idea into the largest and fastest-growing small business loan marketplace in the world. Andrew helped build out and lead the company's operations before focusing on risk management. He is now a trustee at Big Education MAT and AskIf.

Andy studied archaeology at the University of Exeter before doing his MA and then PhD in Archaeology at the University of Bradford. Andy's career has included working in a number of universities in the UK, working on projects including the Research Excellence Framework as well as Institutional Review. Andy is a Quality Assurance Agency Reviewer and focuses on quality assurance and governance.

Anjelica studied English Literature and Drama at the University of Birmingham and went on to complete a postgraduate degree in English, Drama and Media Education. Most recently, Anjelica worked as a specialist A Level teacher at an inner-London secondary school. Anjelica is passionate about closing gaps and disparities for young people who are underrepresented in Higher Education.

Anson is an theoretical physicist with a background building models in condensed matter physics. PhD, Cambridge.

Ash is an artist, writer, and consultant. Ash holds a masters degree in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from the University of Oxford and a second masters in Environmental Anthropology from the University of Kent. He holds a PhD in Education for Sustainability from Wageningen University and Research Centre in The Netherlands. 

Bronwyn is a human behavioural scientist interested in the evolution of social behaviours, particularly music and dance. Bronwyn completed her DPhil (PhD) at the University of Oxford, where she has continued her research in evolutionary anthropology and psychology.

Carl leads on curriculum design, teaching, and learning. Carl was a Professorial Teaching Fellow of Interdisciplinary Education at UCL and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Catalina holds a degree in Engineering Sciences and Mathematical Engineering, master’s in Applied Mathematics, and is currently finishing her PhD in Mathematics at Oxford. Her main interests are active problem-based learning and helping students use mathematical thinking to solve real-world problems.

Chris has co-founded several digital start-ups including Bookatable. Prior to this, he worked for BTS, the executive education consultancy group. Chris is an Advisory Board Member at youth charity Big Change, a mentor at Seedcamp and Singularity University SU Labs, and part of the Founders Network.

Ebrahim is an applied mathematician who holds an MMath and PhD from the University of Manchester, both in Mathematics. He is especially interested in the mathematics of complex systems and human behaviour. Ebrahim co-founded The Bees, an award-winning writing group which promotes the understanding and enjoyment of mathematical techniques.

Ed co-founded School 21, an innovative 4 - 18 school in Stratford, East London (achieved Outstanding Ofsted in 2014). He has advised leaders at Cambridge University, the London School of Economics along with schools exploring new ways of teaching. Prior to founding School 21 Ed worked at McKinsey & Co and ran a theatre production company. 

Ella studied Geography at the University of Exeter, before doing her MA in Education and Leadership at UCL. After graduating, Ella completed the Teach First Graduate Programme. She then moved to New York City where she was Head of Humanities at the British International School. Ella is passionate about tackling institutionalised social inequality and engaging disadvantaged students.

Emily graduated from the University of Sussex with a history degree, and enjoyed branching out to study modules in forestry, art history, astronomy, and sculpture. She has experience working in international education, widening participation and residential life. Previously, Emily worked for an interdisciplinary dual-degree program in the US.

Before joining LIS, Emma was a Lecturer in Law and Data Science at the University of Birmingham. She holds a Master of Law (LLM) from the University of Cambridge, and a BSc in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE) from the University of Amsterdam. Emma is currently doing a PhD in Law at the University of Birmingham.

After graduating with a degree in psychology, Geraldine trained to teach in the post compulsory sector. Most recently Geraldine has worked in widening participation for London Higher and AccessHE, delivering on the OfS Uni Connect Programme. She has interests in coaching, mentoring and a passion for improving access to education for students from underrepresented groups.

After graduating from her BA (hons) in War Studies from the University of Kent, Hayley completed a MA in Human Rights and Global Ethics at the University of Leicester. Over the past seven years Hayley has held a variety of positions in HE Professional Services across several institutions, bringing a breadth of experience to LIS.

After graduating from UCL, Helen worked at Explore Learning in its formative stages, first launching a new education centre and then becoming a regional manager. She moved her leadership and management experience into the third sector and led the volunteering programmes for two youth charities in London and the national charity CLIC.

Isaiah is an anthropologist, product designer and storyteller. He is reading for a PhD at the University of Oxford, holds a BSc in Anthropology from UCL and was a visiting undergraduate at Harvard. His interests include: belonging, meritocracy, inclusive product design, sustainable fashion, and social mobility. He has worked on projects for Airbnb, Depop, the Archewell Foundation, and J.P. Morgan.

Before coming to LIS, James worked in various academic positions across the UK and Ireland. He is currently concluding an appointment as a Wellcome Trust Fellow at Brunel University London, where he used methods from machine learning and experimental psychology to establish the therapeutic impact of fiction on anxiety and depression.

James studied languages at Cambridge, then worked for three years in public sector communications, before completing a Masters in English Literature at Queen Mary, University of London, and a PhD in the history of science at UCL. He has taught on the Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences degree programme at the University of Birmingham and the Arts and Sciences programme at UCL.

Kenan Malik is a distinguished writer, lecturer, and broadcaster writing on science and politics. Kenan has written and presented a number of radio and TV documentaries (Radio 4 and Channel 4) and is a columnist for the Observer.

Kestral is an interdisciplinary technologist, creative, and mental health advodate with a passion for creating experiences that bring people together to learn and grow. She holds degrees in technology, education, and healthcare, and has had a professional career spanning the corporate, start-up, and the third sectors.

Kiran holds a BA in English Literature from Royal Holloway, University of London, and is currently doing an MA in Policy Studies in Education at UCL. During her time at RHUL, she worked with a number of social impact organisations including VSO and SolidariTee. Kiran has joined LIS with an interest in ensuring access to education for minorities and marginalised groups.

Kristen holds degrees from UCL and LSE, where she was elected postgraduate representative for the department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method. She has won several awards for her voluntary work at The Children's Hospital School (based at Great Ormond Street, University College London Hospital, and the Macmillan Cancer Centre).

Lara is a designer who trained in architecture and spatial design in Glasgow, Madrid and London. Lara has worked in city regeneration, government policy, design studios, think tanks and global organisations that are focused on the bettering of people and planetary life. Her interests are in social and spatial justice, multilateral partnerships, and design governance.

Latika is a marketeer with a strong digital first approach. She studied English Literature before completing her MBA from NMIMS, Mumbai. She then set up a digital marketing firm with clientele spanning Australia, India, Dubai, and the US. Latika is also a trained Jazz dancer and had a Bollywood wedding choreography company previously.

Marielle has over 15 years of experience in international HE across sectors and continents and a relentless passion for transforming education. Prior to joining LIS, Marielle helped launch and grow Minerva Schools at KGI (USA) and the African Leadership University (Mauritius & Rwanda).

From 2010-2017, Mary was Chief Executive of UCAS. Earlier in her career, Mary held executive and non-executive positions in the education, hospitality, food and biotech sectors.

Maria is an artist, curator, and translator who has exhibited in numerous cities including Los Angeles, London, and Vienna. She has an MA in Art (Sculpture) from the Slade School of Fine Art, a further MA in Philosophy and Critical Theory from Kingston, and is currently doing a Phd in Philosophy and Art from EGS Switzerland.

Matthew trained and practiced as a doctor before specialising in neuroscience. He is an open-source software developer and has worked on the basic packages for data analysis in Python, among other projects. His main passion is thinking about new, accessible and revealing ways of doing and teaching data analysis.

Mattia is an academic philosopher with a background in the social sciences. After reading economics and philosophy at Bocconi University and the London School of Economics, Mattia completed a PhD at the University of Exeter. Before joining LIS, Mattia lectured on the philosophy of the social sciences at LSE and led on the academic management of The Human Mind Project.

Michael is the Registrar at LIS. In this role, Michael led the team in securing new Degree Awarding Powers. This milestone ensured that LIS was the first Higher Education Institution to begin with the ability to award its own degrees for over fifty years. Michael sits on the Board of LIS, is a Trustee of Causeway Education, and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge.

Mollie studied History with Philosophy at the New College of the Humanities (NCH). Since graduation, she has worked primarily in admissions whilst contributing to academic work in historical and philosophical research. She is keen to continue her work on making university admissions more accessible and enjoyable for students.

Natasha holds a degree in Film, Television and Theatre studies from the University of Reading. During her studies, Natasha completed a summer course at NYU Tisch School of the Arts in New York. She’s also spent time in Canada, working on a Netflix series, and New Zealand, working at a tech company in the social media space. Natasha is passionate about the power of digital storytelling.

Nepor holds a degree in Multimedia Technology and Design from Brunel University. While at university, she completed her placement year as a graphic designer at a design agency where she worked mainly on creative for Disney Benelux. Before joining LIS, Nepor worked for a magazine publisher.

Nikita studied Spanish and Linguistics at Oxford before joining LinkedIn Learning as a data analyst. She then went on to lead growth at an education startup. Nikita’s personal mission is to unlock the potential of people who don’t ordinarily have access to educational opportunities, resources or networks. She is interested in psychology, linguistics, community, equalith, and entrepreneurship.

Priya is a social epidemiologist whose work has promoted social justice causes in developing countries. Some of these causes include access to healthcare for marginalised groups and the provision of water and sanitation. Priya has previously lectured on research methods, health, and environmental change and is keen to challenge and share insights with other learners.

Rosita is a UCL BASc graduate living the polymath life with more than one career. She is is a self-taught web engineer who loves building with code as well as traditional materials.

Tim holds a degree in Theoretical Physics from Imperial College. He co-founded his first venture backed business at 19, becoming one of the youngest founders ever accepted into the y-combinator programme. Tim was Imperial’s Entrepreneur in Residence between 2017-2018 and is an active member of the Big Change & Privacy International advisory boards.

Waqās is founder of the DaVinci Network, author of The Polymath (Wiley 2019) and creator of the Polymath Festival. His research interests centre around human diversity and performance. He holds a BSc in Economics (SOAS) and postgraduate degrees in International History (LSE) and Neuroscience (King's College London). His main professional careers have been in diplomatic journalism and visual art.

Toni was a part of the second graduating class at Minerva where she studied Economics and Cognition. She also worked for the Student Experience team at Minerva for several years. Since then, Toni has pursued a master in Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics. Toni is interested in applying the science behind behaviour to the design of educational experiences.

Matt is experienced product leader and coach who loves to inspire and empower teams to build learning products with purpose. He's responsible for growing the portfolio of LIS' courses and ensuring we deliver a brilliant and innovate learning and teaching experience by making the most of technology. He was one of the founding team and CPO at FutureLearn and built digital products at the BBC.