Dr Emma Thompson
Head of Enhancement (Widening Participation and Social Mobility)
Emma is Head of Enhancement within the University's Widening Participation and Social Mobility directorate. Prior to taking up that role, she led the Learn with US Transition Programme from September 2014 until January 2021, having previously taken up the role of Learn with US Transition Officer in May 2013.
Her background is as a social scientist, having undertaken a BSc in Politics in 2008, followed by an MSc in Social Statistics in 2010, finally completing her PhD in Social Statistics in 2014. Emma’s thesis sought to distinguish between political apathy and disengagement, analysing the conditions under which politics does not penetrate the conscious mind. Having been especially interested in the Teaching and Learning of undergraduates whilst completing her PhD, Emma was keen to use her experience of academic research to facilitate the smooth transition of students as they make their way into Higher Education, supporting the acquisition of the necessary research and academic skills demanded of degree level study.
To this end, Emma has worked with students undertaking a number of different research based projects including the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), IB Extended Essay, IBCP Reflective Project and The Welsh Baccalaureate’s Individual Project, undertaken as part of the Skills Challenge Certificate. She can provide support for the taught element of these programmes, offering a range of research skill sessions, particularly given her experience as a moderator for the EPQ for OCR. In addition, she is more than happy to deliver talks to staff and senior management regarding the value of these qualifications from the perspective of a university, drawing upon collaborative research undertaken with AQA.