Professor Alis Oancea

University of Oxford

Alis is Professor of Philosophy of Education and Research Policy at the University of Oxford and Project Lead (Research on Research) at the ESRC Centre for Global Higher Education, as well as Social Sciences Division Advocate for Impact (Responsible Engagement and Innovation). In recent years, she was Director of Research in the Oxford University Department of Education and REF2021 coordinator for the unit. Through scholarly and professional collaborations, she hopes to champion knowledge, justice, generosity and integrity in research practices and discourses, research policy and research leadership and cultures in different types of organisation. She has led and collaborated on research projects, change and development initiatives, and administrative processes on impact and knowledge exchange, and held advisory and leadership roles in education reform and research assessment. She has conducted research on research ecosystems, values in research, open knowledge, impact, ethics and integrity, epistemic diversity, research careers, understandings of quality and excellence, research assessment, research in teacher education, philosophy of research, and principled research practice. Alis is the joint editor of the Oxford Review of Education, chief editorial advisor on Routledge Open Research (Education), and co-editor of the forthcoming ‘Handbook of Meta-Research’ (Elgar). Alis Oancea led CGHE Project 3, ‘Research on Research: the research function and mission of higher education’.

Alis Oancea is Professor of Philosophy of Education and Research Policy at the University of Oxford, where she has also been Director of Research in the Department of Education. Her interests are in research on research and philosophy of research. Her research has focused on research policy and governance, research assessment and evaluation, incentives and criteria for worthwhile research (including openness, quality, impacts), methodological theory and research capacity building; higher education policy and reform, including the reform of teacher education in international contexts; and empirical, theoretical and philosophical exploration of different modes of research. Alis has conducted system-wide reviews and evaluations of historical trends, current patterns and future prospects for higher education research capacity, infrastructure and funding, quality, and impact. Alis is the joint editor of the Oxford Review of Education, and was founding editor of the Review of Education.