With backgrounds in research, academia, teaching and policy, our staff develop and deliver vital high-quality insights and assessments, grounded in deep subject knowledge and a thorough understanding of education.
Our multidisciplinary team includes a range of international education experts who are able to offer specialist input. We are professional, approachable, easy to work with and dedicated to supporting clients in achieving their aims.
Through our extensive network of partners and associates we can work in a range of languages and deliver projects that are responsive to their context, respect local laws and customs, and provide a reliable and adaptable offer to our clients.
Joanne Lockwood
Head of Global Programmes
Joanne's areas of expertise include:
- International Development
- Strategy Development
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning systems
- Stakeholder engagement and partner management
- Business Development
Joanne Lockwood
Head of Global Programmes
Joanne's areas of expertise include:
- International Development
- Strategy Development
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning systems
- Stakeholder engagement and partner management
- Business Development
Liz Twist
Head of Assessment Research and Development
Liz's key areas of expertise include:
- Assessment design and development (national and international)
- Literacy assessment
- International Large Scale Assessments
Liz Twist
Head of Assessment Research and Development
Liz's key areas of expertise include:
- Assessment design and development (national and international)
- Literacy assessment
- International Large Scale Assessments
Angela Hopkins
Head of Assessment Services
Angela's key areas of expertise include:
- Management of large assessment projects (UK and international)
- Assessment / qualifications (including monitoring and accountability)
- Assessment advice and conceptualisation
Angela Hopkins
Head of Assessment Services
Angela's key areas of expertise include:
- Management of large assessment projects (UK and international)
- Assessment / qualifications (including monitoring and accountability)
- Assessment advice and conceptualisation
Ben Styles
Co-Head of UK Policy and Practice and Head of Classroom Practice and Workforce
Ben's areas of expertise include:
- Impact evaluation
- Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs)
- Quasi-Experimental Designs
- Covid recovery/catch-up including tutoring
- Disadvantage gap
Ben Styles
Co-Head of UK Policy and Practice and Head of Classroom Practice and Workforce
Ben's areas of expertise include:
- Impact evaluation
- Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs)
- Quasi-Experimental Designs
- Covid recovery/catch-up including tutoring
- Disadvantage gap
Katarzyna Kubacka
Head of International Development
Katarzyna leads the research and evaluation portfolio of work in international education and development. Before joining NFER, she worked on UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, in 2016-19. There she led the work related to teacher policies and skill development, as well as the conceptual framework for the 2019 GEM Report on Inclusion in Education and a policy paper on addressing the trauma of displacement through social and emotional learning .
Between 2011 and 2016, she worked as Policy Analyst at the OECD’s Education and Skills Directorate, where she was part of the Education and Social Progress project, focusing on how education brings about socio-emotional skills and how these contribute to different measures of wellbeing.
She also served as Analyst on the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) team, drafting chapters analysing TALIS 2013 results and contributing to the preparatory work for TALIS 2018 and TALIS Video Study. Katarzyna holds a PhD in Social Psychology from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Katarzyna Kubacka
Head of International Development
Katarzyna leads the research and evaluation portfolio of work in international education and development. Before joining NFER, she worked on UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, in 2016-19. There she led the work related to teacher policies and skill development, as well as the conceptual framework for the 2019 GEM Report on Inclusion in Education and a policy paper on addressing the trauma of displacement through social and emotional learning .
Between 2011 and 2016, she worked as Policy Analyst at the OECD’s Education and Skills Directorate, where she was part of the Education and Social Progress project, focusing on how education brings about socio-emotional skills and how these contribute to different measures of wellbeing.
She also served as Analyst on the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) team, drafting chapters analysing TALIS 2013 results and contributing to the preparatory work for TALIS 2018 and TALIS Video Study. Katarzyna holds a PhD in Social Psychology from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Anne Kispal
Research Director
Anne's areas of expertise include:
- Reading assessment
- Capacity building: item writing
Anne Kispal
Research Director
Anne's areas of expertise include:
- Reading assessment
- Capacity building: item writing
Bethan Burge
Research Director
Bethan's key areas of expertise include:
- Management of large assessment projects (UK)
- International Large Scale Assessments
Bethan Burge
Research Director
Bethan's key areas of expertise include:
- Management of large assessment projects (UK)
- International Large Scale Assessments
Rebecca Wheater
Research Director
Rebecca is responsible for NFER’s International Large Scale Assessment portfolio. She ensures that these high-profile, complex research projects are delivered to strict quality standards and ensures the data is analysed robustly and used to inform international education policy and practice. She is Project Director for PISA 2018 in the UK, and was previously the National Project Manager for the OECD International Early Learning and Child Wellbeing Study in England.
Rebecca has wide experience of managing large-scale international assessment projects and was previously the National Project Manager for PISA 2012 in the UK, PISA 2015 in Scotland and the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) 2011-2012 in England and Northern Ireland. Her background is in test development, with experience of developing assessments for children aged 5-15. She has a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences and an MA in Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment.
Rebecca Wheater
Research Director
Rebecca is responsible for NFER’s International Large Scale Assessment portfolio. She ensures that these high-profile, complex research projects are delivered to strict quality standards and ensures the data is analysed robustly and used to inform international education policy and practice. She is Project Director for PISA 2018 in the UK, and was previously the National Project Manager for the OECD International Early Learning and Child Wellbeing Study in England.
Rebecca has wide experience of managing large-scale international assessment projects and was previously the National Project Manager for PISA 2012 in the UK, PISA 2015 in Scotland and the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) 2011-2012 in England and Northern Ireland. Her background is in test development, with experience of developing assessments for children aged 5-15. She has a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences and an MA in Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment.
Kathryn Hurd
Head of Survey Operations
Kathryn leads our Survey Operations and has considerable experience in designing and implementing response maximisation and attrition minimisation strategies for evaluations, supported by NFER’s Telephone Unit and specialist survey administration software. With a broad range of education research in the UK and overseas, she has led these aspects for many Education Endowment Foundation RCT evaluations, including: Catch Up Literacy efficacy trial; Literacy Octopus trials; Philosophy for Children trial; Helping Handwriting Shine trial; and the Evaluation of Accelerated Reader. She was the operations lead for NFER’s GEC evaluation in Mozambique and a study of Teacher Attendance in Kenya.
Kathryn Hurd
Head of Survey Operations
Kathryn leads our Survey Operations and has considerable experience in designing and implementing response maximisation and attrition minimisation strategies for evaluations, supported by NFER’s Telephone Unit and specialist survey administration software. With a broad range of education research in the UK and overseas, she has led these aspects for many Education Endowment Foundation RCT evaluations, including: Catch Up Literacy efficacy trial; Literacy Octopus trials; Philosophy for Children trial; Helping Handwriting Shine trial; and the Evaluation of Accelerated Reader. She was the operations lead for NFER’s GEC evaluation in Mozambique and a study of Teacher Attendance in Kenya.
Paola De Munari
Senior Research Manager Education and International Development Specialist
Paola's key areas of expertise include:
- International Development
- Teacher Professional Development
- Qualitative and Participatory Research
- Project Management
Paola De Munari
Senior Research Manager Education and International Development Specialist
Paola's key areas of expertise include:
- International Development
- Teacher Professional Development
- Qualitative and Participatory Research
- Project Management
Juliet Kyoshabire Kotonya
Research Manager
Juliet's areas of expertise include:
- Project Management
- International Development
- International Education
- Programme evaluation
- Socio-emotional learning
- Equity and inclusion
Juliet Kyoshabire Kotonya
Research Manager
Juliet's areas of expertise include:
- Project Management
- International Development
- International Education
- Programme evaluation
- Socio-emotional learning
- Equity and inclusion
Rachel Classick
Research Manager
Rachel is an assessment expert. She has worked on most of the major International Large Scale Assessment studies (including PISA, IELS, TIMSS and PIRLS) with particular expertise in the translation and cultural adaptation of test items and questionnaires and the marking of constructed response items. Rachel was a co-author for the TIMSS 2015 and PIRLS 2016 National reports for Northern Ireland.
Rachel works closely with the Centre for Assessment on a variety of test development projects, including NFER Key Stage 2 (for children aged 7-11) optional tests for reading, provision of literacy texts and item writing for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), and National Curriculum reading tests in England. Rachel has also worked on a UNESCO study reviewing Rwanda’s readiness to implement e-assessment.
Rachel Classick
Research Manager
Rachel is an assessment expert. She has worked on most of the major International Large Scale Assessment studies (including PISA, IELS, TIMSS and PIRLS) with particular expertise in the translation and cultural adaptation of test items and questionnaires and the marking of constructed response items. Rachel was a co-author for the TIMSS 2015 and PIRLS 2016 National reports for Northern Ireland.
Rachel works closely with the Centre for Assessment on a variety of test development projects, including NFER Key Stage 2 (for children aged 7-11) optional tests for reading, provision of literacy texts and item writing for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), and National Curriculum reading tests in England. Rachel has also worked on a UNESCO study reviewing Rwanda’s readiness to implement e-assessment.
Jose Liht
Senior Statistician
Jose's areas of expertise include:
- Complex survey analysis
- Impact analysis
- Machine learning
Jose Liht
Senior Statistician
Jose's areas of expertise include:
- Complex survey analysis
- Impact analysis
- Machine learning
Geeta Gambhir
Researcher
Geeta is a Researcher and applies her expertise in Teaching and Learning to the development of assessment texts and items, including adapting the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) to the Indian context and cultural adaptations of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) texts. She also contributes to the design of qualitative tools for research and evaluation projects, with recent work including the pilot of the UNESCO SDG 4.7.6 Breadth of Skills Indicator. She is currently working in a team that is generating lessons to inform the scaling of a school inspections programme in Uganda.
Geeta holds a teaching degree (PGCE) and has over 10 years of experience in both Secondary and Primary Education in the UK, including three years as Head of Department (Psychology). She also holds an MA in Education and International Development from the UCL Institute of Education.
Geeta Gambhir
Researcher
Geeta is a Researcher and applies her expertise in Teaching and Learning to the development of assessment texts and items, including adapting the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) to the Indian context and cultural adaptations of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) texts. She also contributes to the design of qualitative tools for research and evaluation projects, with recent work including the pilot of the UNESCO SDG 4.7.6 Breadth of Skills Indicator. She is currently working in a team that is generating lessons to inform the scaling of a school inspections programme in Uganda.
Geeta holds a teaching degree (PGCE) and has over 10 years of experience in both Secondary and Primary Education in the UK, including three years as Head of Department (Psychology). She also holds an MA in Education and International Development from the UCL Institute of Education.
Gustavo Lopes
Researcher
Gustavo's areas of expertise include:
- Qualitative and mixed methods social research and evaluation
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning system strengthening
- Multi-lingual data collection, analysis and reporting
- Research and evaluation management
- Training and workshop facilitation
- Global Development & Education policy and practice
- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics)
- Political economy analyses
Gustavo Lopes
Researcher
Gustavo's areas of expertise include:
- Qualitative and mixed methods social research and evaluation
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning system strengthening
- Multi-lingual data collection, analysis and reporting
- Research and evaluation management
- Training and workshop facilitation
- Global Development & Education policy and practice
- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics)
- Political economy analyses
Diana Sekaggya
Country Representative in Uganda
Diana has twenty years of experience within Uganda’s education sector, having previously worked for the Aga Khan Foundation, the European Commission, the Embassy of Ireland, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.
Diana leads NFER's strategic engagement in Uganda, working with stakeholders and expanding NFER's work to provide insights to support improvements across the education sector.
Diana Sekaggya
Country Representative in Uganda
Diana has twenty years of experience within Uganda’s education sector, having previously worked for the Aga Khan Foundation, the European Commission, the Embassy of Ireland, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.
Diana leads NFER's strategic engagement in Uganda, working with stakeholders and expanding NFER's work to provide insights to support improvements across the education sector.
Maria Jose Guevara
Research Manager
Maria Jose is responsible for managing the life cycle of research and evaluation projects in education and development.
She has extensive experience in international education across sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. With a track record in learning assessments and mixed methods research, Maria Jose’s technical areas include project management, gender and inclusion, strategic planning, international partnership building, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), data collection, analysis and reporting. She has contributed to national and international reports presenting the results of learning assessments (TERCE, ERCE, PISA-D, PIAAC and PIRLS).
Maria Jose holds an MSc in Gender and Development from the London School of Economics and a BA in Journalism from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito.
Prior to joining NFER, she held roles at UNESCO, the OECD and Ecuador’s National Institute of Educational Evaluation (INEVAL).
Maria Jose Guevara
Research Manager
Maria Jose is responsible for managing the life cycle of research and evaluation projects in education and development.
She has extensive experience in international education across sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. With a track record in learning assessments and mixed methods research, Maria Jose’s technical areas include project management, gender and inclusion, strategic planning, international partnership building, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), data collection, analysis and reporting. She has contributed to national and international reports presenting the results of learning assessments (TERCE, ERCE, PISA-D, PIAAC and PIRLS).
Maria Jose holds an MSc in Gender and Development from the London School of Economics and a BA in Journalism from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito.
Prior to joining NFER, she held roles at UNESCO, the OECD and Ecuador’s National Institute of Educational Evaluation (INEVAL).