Research
Research groups
Research interests
- Maria’s main research interests are:
- Educational leadership and management, particularly focused on instructional leadership/Leadership for Learning; leadership and management for school improvement within MATs;
- Education policy;
- School improvement;
- International and comparative education;
Research projects
Completed projects
Publications
Supervision
Current PhD Students
Biography
Prior to her appointment to the University of Southampton (January 2016), Maria was Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Management at the University of Nottingham (expanding her international experience in the Malaysia campus) and a Senior Teaching Fellow in the MA Educational Leadership and Management programmes at the University of Warwick (UK). Maria has been an Educational Manager in the private sector in Athens Greece and she has taught education programmes in secondary, further education and Higher Education, in different education contexts (England, Greece, Middle East, Asia). Maria has been in the leadership teams of the Undergraduate and Postgraduate taught Education programmes of the University of Southampton, as well as holding the role of Southampton Education School Employability Lead.
Maria is the winner of the prestigious British Educational Leadership Management and Administration Society (BELMAS) Best Thesis Award 2015. Maria developed her expertise in comparative educational leadership and management (PhD holder- University of Warwick, UK). Her doctoral thesis examined the enactment of instructional leadership in high-performing secondary schools within cross-country comparative contexts (England and Greece). Her doctoral research has been recognised as ‘a study with the most significant contribution to the field of educational leadership, management and policy’ (BELMAS, 2015), while it enhances theoretical significance grounded in comparative empirical research.
Maria is an active researcher, with a good record of successful applications for research grants. She has been leading and/or contributing to funded research projects in primary/secondary education, Further and Higher Education at national and international contexts.
The calibre of Maria’s teaching has been independently verified. In 2013, Maria received a University of Warwick Award for Teaching Excellence in Higher Education for her innovative teaching methods in Higher Education. Maria has also been nominated for an Academic Award as 'the most engaging lecturer' (SUSU, 2022).