CLAREC Members

Alicia Garcia Montufar Miro Quesada

ag2420@cam.ac.uk | I am a Peruvian MPhil student in Education, Globalisation, and International Development at the University of Cambridge, with a Bachelor’s in Education and Learning Management from Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas. My research has focused on emotional education within the Peruvian curriculum. My current research interests are gender inequality, policy, and social justice in Peru. See more.

Anna Maria Del Fiorentino

amd218@cam.ac.uk | I’m a PhD candidate investigating women’s sense of belonging at elite universities, focusing on first-generation students at Brazil’s Unicamp and the UK’s Cambridge University, where these historically exclusionary spaces, in different contexts, have only recently seen record numbers of state-school and BAME students. Additionally, I explore generational inequalities and the impact of a degree on disrupting—or not—patterns in occupations and belonging among mothers and daughters, incorporating the lived experiences of their mothers. See more.

Heidy M. Perez-Cordero

hmp54@cam.ac.uk | I am a Puerto Rican doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. My research project explores the formation of the professional identity of the Heritage Language Teachers. The exploration was conducted through a series of applied drama workshops. My interests include poetic inquiry, drama as method, identities, teacher’s wellbeing, decolonizing education, art-based research, teaching artist development, ethnic penalties and the correlation between identity and pedagogy. I am an active member of Decolonising Language Education Collective (DLEC), Second Language Education Group (SLEG), Cambridge Research in Community Language Education(CRiCLE), and Cambridge Community School Leadership Forum. See more.

María Fernanda Rodríguez

mfr32@cam.ac.uk | I am a Peruvian sociologist with a master’s degree in Education, Globalisation, and International Development. After working in educational research and public policy in Peru for the past years, I am now starting a Ph.D. in Education at Cambridge. My work has focused on researching educational topics from a sociological perspective, especially in issues involving inequality, reform and change in educational systems, pupil mobility and segregation, and topics in private education. My MPhil thesis, which received the Best Dissertation Award from the Faculty of Education at Cambridge, explored how the debate on the regulation of private education in Peru revealed contradictory ways of seeing education that are located in market and civil orders of worth. My doctoral research aims to advance the analysis of the private education phenomena in Peru and the region from new avenues of analysis. See more.

Alexandre Da Trindade

ad988@cantab.ac.uk Currently undertaking a CAPES Postdoctoral Fellowship at the National Institute of Science and Technology “Educational Policy and Teaching Work” (INCT-GESTRADO) at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), under the coordination of Professor Dalila Andrade Oliveira. PhD in Education from the University of Cambridge (2024), supervised by Professor Susan L. Robertson. The thesis, titled Utopian Thinking in Higher Education and Its Relationship with Social Movements: Reshaping Societal Roles to Build Alternative Worlds, examines how utopian thinking can reshape the social role of universities in their interaction with social movements, with the aim of constructing alternative futures. Holds a Masters degree in Global Prosperity from University College London (UCL) (2018), with distinction, an MBA in Marketing (2000), and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Communication from ESPM-SP (1996). See more.

Rocío Fernández Ugalde

raf64@cam.ac.uk | I am a Chilean doctoral researcher at Cambridge interested in educational policies and critical studies in education. I graduated as an educational psychologist from the University of Chile where I collaborated in research projects related to teachers’ work ant their autonomy in different school settings. I have also participated in governmental teacher education projects and research-practice partnerships between school and universities. In my PhD project, I examine the global and national policy ensemble of teacher accountability policies in Chile over time, for which I draw on a critical realist stance and a critical socio-spatial lens anchored in state theory. See more.

Adam Woodage

ajw305@cam.ac.uk | I am a mature undergraduate student in the Faculty of Education, which means that I spend about six months a year reading, writing and thinking about education through an interdisciplinary lens. Before Cambridge, I worked on minority rights and civil activism in the South Caucasus, and for an Indian EdTech startup, using low-bandwidth technology to improve English teaching in low-income and rural schools. In Cambridge, part of my research is focussed on the future role of the university and schools, in the face of a changing climate. I am particularly interested in Latin American conceptions of the university (pluriversity?)

Ana Laura Trigo Clapés

alt56@cam.ac.uk |Ana is an Educational Psychologist from Mexico City who graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She completed her PhD at Cambridge, where her research focused on how autistic students in mainstream primary classrooms in the UK participate in class discussions and how teachers support their involvement. Her PhD aimed to develop tailored teaching strategies that enhance the participation of autistic students in classroom dialogue, considering their unique communication characteristics and preferences. Ana has also collaborated on research projects related to classroom dialogue and the intervention of adolescents diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. 

Ana Luisa Rubio-Jimenez

alr50@cam.ac.uk | Ana is an Educational Psychologist who graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and completed her PhD in Education at Cambridge. Her PhD research focused on how the self-determination of Mexican young adults with intellectual disabilities can be enhanced through a dialogic pedagogy. Ana has presented her findings at international conferences and published in academic journals. She has worked with teachers and students with special educational needs and disabilities in both Mexico and England, and has collaborated with organizations such as ‘Cambridge Student Community Action’ and ‘The Brilliant Club’ in the UK, and ‘Capys-Contruyendo Puentes’ in Mexico.

Consuelo Béjares Casanueva

cb2018@cam.ac.uk | I am a PhD student interested in sociology of education and critical youth studies. I graduate in Sociology in Chile and studied a master’s in social policy at the University of Melbourne. I have worked for several years in the intersection of research and policy to inform the advancement of equity principles in school education policies, mainly in the areas of privatization, class segregation and civic knowledge. Currently, I am looking at how young people living in marginalized urban areas of Santiago experience inclusion/exclusion, belonging and citizenship in times of rapid social change. I use an ethnographic and participatory methods approach.

Dina Fajardo

ddf24@cam.ac.uk | I am a Ph.D. student in the Faculty of Education. I believe that research should be used to inform public policy and practice, to improve the education and wellbeing of all children. I am passionate about my country, Mexico, and about the role that education plays in building a better society. My Ph.D. research project investigates the use of integrated playful pedagogies to develop children’s skills in Mexico. Additionally, I am interested in the use of technology and educational innovations to enhance education and to improve education for everyone.

Elisa de Padua

med40@cam.ac.uk | Elisa is a Psychologist with a strong academic and professional focus on educational assessment, completing her PhD in Education at the University of Cambridge. Her research, conducted through a multiple-case study, analyzed classroom formative assessment practices of reading comprehension in vulnerable contexts in Chile. Elisa’s work aims to support professional reflection among teachers on formative assessment and the development of students as readers, while also identifying specific challenges for designing resources that support classroom assessment and opportunities for teachers’ professional development.

Jáfia Naftali Câmara

jn473@cam.ac.uk | I am a British Academy Research Fellow in Education at the Centre for Lebanese Studies and the University of Cambridge. My main research interests centre on education, migration, mobilities, internal displacement, the politics of education and the intersections between racism(s), class, border regimes and integration discourse and policy. See more.

Javiera Marfan

jm2159@cam.ac.uk | Javiera is a Chilean sociologist with a master’s degree in public policy and management, who completed her PhD in Education. Her doctoral research at the University of Cambridge focused on Chile’s system of education quality assurance, examining it as a case of hybrid reform where a wide range of educational goals interacts with high-stakes accountability mechanisms. Javiera’s research analyzed how this reform is enacted in Chilean primary schools, aiming to better understand the educational goals that prevail and the roles played by policy, school staff, and organizational context in shaping these outcomes. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked in educational research and policymaking in Chile, specializing in school leadership, policy implementation, and school improvement

Julia Hayes

jh2061@cam.ac.uk | Julia is an Educational Psychologist, trainer, and international consultant in inclusive education, who completed her PhD at the Faculty of Education. Her research, funded by the ESRC, explored how the innovative Colombian model of education, Escuela Nueva, addresses the education of children with disabilities in rural contexts. Her work critically examined the relevance of applying Northern models of inclusive education to the Global South without considering contextual, cultural, or local differences. Julia’s research provided valuable insights into how this homegrown model navigates the complexities of educating children with disabilities in rural areas. In addition to her academic work, Julia has illustrated live at various international conferences, including the Global Disability Summit (2018) and the UNESCO Conference on Inclusive Education in Cali, Colombia (2019).

Juliana Spadotto

julianaspadot@gmail.comg | During her time as a Master’s student at Cambridge, Juliana research focused on theatre as a tool for social transformation, with a case study on a collective theatre group in a marginalized area of São Paulo, Brazil. Prior to her studies, Juliana worked as an actress, director, and drama teacher in Brazil, having graduated in Artistic Education with a degree in Performing Arts. She is particularly interested in political theatre that challenges societal norms and raises awareness among participants and audiences. In addition to her passion for teaching, learning, and acting, Juliana discovered a love for rowing during her time in Cambridge.

Luwei Bai

lb950@cam.ac.uk | I’m an MPhil student in Educational Leadership and School Improvement at the University of Cambridge, as well as a senior education consultant with 10-year experience. I’m researching teacher professional development and leadership from a constructivist perspective, and my current research interest lies particularly in digital leadership in TPD and developing TPD through collaborative learning. I want to devote myself to educational research and make a little difference in the world.

Magali Ramos Jarrin

mpr44@cam.ac.uk | I am an Ecuadorian PhD student with a B.A in Integrated Social Sciences from Jacobs University and Msc. in Social Policy from LSE. Worked as Undersecretary for Teachers Professional Development at the Ministry of Education of Ecuador and collaborated with the World Bank, Inter American Development Bank and RISE Programme Grants.Awarded UNESCO GEM Report Fellowship. My research focuses on understanding student trajectories from school to university looking at public expenditure of education in Ecuador, linking historical administrative data for the first time to track the extent public investment in education is concentrated in the most privileged groups of society. See more.

Miriam Broeks

mglb3@cam.ac.uk | I am a Peruvian-Dutch education researcher interested in social integration, policy analysis and evaluation. Growing up in Peru and experiencing public and private schooling triggered my interest to better understand how education systems can provide quality education to all children. As a part-time PhD student at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, I am researching factors that influence educational inequalities affecting indigenous pupils in Peru. Using existing longitudinal data and a mixed method approach I hope to contribute to the knowledge base to strengthen education provision in Peru.

Othneil Blackwood

osvb2@cantab.ac.uk | I am a scholar-practitioner from Jamaica with an MPhil in Education from the University of Cambridge, where I studied how individuals and underserved communities can learn and grow through military schooling. As a civil servant in the Jamaican military for almost two decades, I have served in a lot of different roles, including infantry, special operations, and military education and training. My research interests include military education and training, leader development, and national security in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. As a leader, writer, and thinker, I am committed to uplifting Jamaica and making the world a better place for everyone.

Paulina Pérez-Duarte Mendiola

pp530@cam.ac.uk | I am a PhD student supervised by Paul Ramchandani, looking into children’s perspectives of ‘Specialised Play’ in paediatric-healthcare-settings in the United Kingdom. My career as a clinical paediatrician and medical anthropologist, has focussed on improving the holistic outcomes of children’s health and the human rights of hospitalised children.My previous research, as a paediatrician and medical anthropologists, explored the profound impact of ‘Play’ on sick-children’s development, learning and healthcare experiences. The objectives of my doctoral research are to carefully understand and evaluate children’s perspectives of ‘Specialised Play’ in paediatric-healthcare-settings and discover ‘how’ and ‘why’ it has the potential to transform a child’s hospital experience, as well as the potential benefits for their developmental-wellbeing.

Paula Teixeira Castro

pt411@cam.ac.uk | I am a doctoral researcher in Education at Cambridge University, UK, where I also completed my MPhil in Education focusing on Educational Leadership and School Improvement. As a Brazilian educator with over 20 years of professional practice I have experienced the invaluable richness of living different contextual realities and positions within school settings, from the classroom to senior leadership, which has given me the opportunity to both participate in, and experience, teacher development programs, as well as designing and implementing programmes of this nature for bilingual educators. Melding these experiences with my interest in understanding the ways teachers connect and build knowledge collaboratively, my research looks specifically at the affordances of Lesson Study in classroom learning research. I am also interested in how school change can be enhanced through networked communities of practice and purpose.

Regina Guzmán Correa

rg661@cam.ac.uk | I am a PhD student in the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge, looking at political settlement approaches to education policy as it relates to access and equity. I am from Mexico but grew up in the United States and have been working in the Tanzanian education space for the last 10 years, making my interest in education wide-ranging and broad-based. My academic background is in art history, diplomacy, and development, and through my doctoral research I hope to apply some of this Interdisciplinarity to understanding how education policy in Tanzania, specifically, but across the Global South more generally, is shaped and enacted.

Sebastián Ansaldo

sa850@cam.ac.uk | While pursuing his PhD, Sebastian’s research focused on the intersections between media and education. His comparative study examined the practices and perspectives of schoolteachers in England and Chile regarding media and technology, exploring how mediatization is transforming teachers’ work, social relations, and the reproduction of their knowledge, identity, and culture. Sebastian applied a critical realist approach and employed qualitative methodology throughout his research. His academic background spans communication studies, media, and education. 

Sophia M. D’Angelo

sdangelo15@gmail.com | During her time as a PhD student at Cambridge, Sophia’s research focused on the role that national and subnational contexts and cultures play in shaping teaching and learning in the Dominican Republic. She employed a ‘building on strengths’ approach by centering the voices of teachers and students, or those most closely involved in everyday pedagogical practices. In addition to her research, Sophia worked as a teacher, teacher trainer, and educational consultant for various international development organizations, including the Overseas Development Institute, EdTech Hub, Chemonics, and the World Bank. Her work supported research initiatives and creative projects across Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East.