Robin Shields

Research interests

My research focuses on the globalization of education, using a sociological approach to study global trends in policy and practice. My recent research has investigated flows of international students in higher education, social media networks between universities, the relationship between education and inequality, and education in conflict-affected and fragile states. I am particularly interested in the application of new methodologies to these topics, with recent papers using social network analysis and multilevel modelling.

I hold a PhD in Education from UCLA, and my research has been funded by the Higher Education Academy, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, the European Commission, and the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs. I am also a co-editor of the Comparative Education Review and received the George Bereday Award for the most outstanding article in the journal in 2013. I am a member of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

At the University of Bath, I am Director of Studies for the DBA in Higher Education Management. This is an interdisciplinary professional doctorate for managers and administrators in higher education institutions. It has an extremely international composition with candidates in senior positions in many universities worldwide. I also teach on the University''s Professional Doctorate in Policy Research and Practice and supervise theses on the Education Doctorate (EdD) programme.