Who we are
The Policy and External Relations Unit, based within the Policy and Public Affairs Department at UCAS, has a full-time Research Team comprising five staff: a Policy Manager; two Senior Research Officers; a Research Officer; and a Research Support Officer.
Policy Manager
Pip Gilroy manages the Research Team. She gained her project management experience during her five years employment with UCAS and has had extensive experience in the field of widening participation, both at UCAS and in her previous employment at the University of Bristol and Lancaster University. She gained an MA from De Montfort Business School, Leicester in 1997 and is currently studying for a PhD in Educational Research at the University of Lancaster.
Senior Research and Data Executive (currently on maternity leave)
Stella Fowler gained her project management experience during her fifteen years employment with UCAS both as line manager of the Research Team (current) and the Statistics Team and as part of the departmental strategic planning function. She has had extensive experience in the field of provision of data analysis and research regularly presenting at external and internal events and is the Research Team PRINCE2 practitioner.
Research Officer
Nick Everett gained research experience within the field of UK and international education and admissions in his previous employment within the research and editorial departments at the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC). He is interested in both quantitative and qualitative aspects of research surrounding HE admission, and is currently focusing upon two main areas of work: characteristics of unplaced applicants into HE; and investigating the accuracy of predicted A level grades. He gained an MA in Syntax and Semantics from the University of York in 1999.
Research Officer
Lisa Williams has been at UCAS since 2009, firstly in the role of Diploma Data Officer (a UCAS and DCSF funded project), responsible for stimulating HE engagement with the Diploma and implementing Diploma Entry Profiles into the UCAS Course Search. She joined the Research Team in January 2010. Lisa gained her research experience whilst studying for an MA and PhD under the University of London. Prior to joining UCAS she worked for four years as an Associate Lecturer for the University of Wales. Lisa specialises in the analysis of contextual data.
Stakeholder Research Officer
Christine Hawdon is Stakeholder Research Officer in the Policy and Public Affairs Department. Christine gained her MSc at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus in 2010 where she specialised in qualitative research methods. She has gained research experience in the field of business consultancy working at das Institut f??r Unternehmenskybernetik e.V. in Aachen, Germany.
Research Support Officer
Helen Wintrip has worked at UCAS since 2008. Her role is to provide support to the research function, which she joined in June 2010. Previously, Helen worked as a Project Officer for the Business Development Department where she coordinated the HEFCE Shared Service Initiative projects and provided support to the 14-19 Education Products Team.