DrZeta Williams-Brown

Zeta is Professor for Inclusive Education for the Centre for Research in Education and Social Transformation (CREST) in the School of Education at the University of Wolverhampton.  She is co-lead for the centre, has been in full-time research roles since 2017 and has participated in all School of Education research centres at the university since 2008. Her leadership responsibilities include leader for the Childhood, Families, Diversity and Inclusion Hub, leading on strategic planning for the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) and being responsible for one impact case study on inclusive education. She is partnership lead for the Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC) and the university's twinning partnership with Nizhyn Mykola Gogol State University in Ukraine. She is a (dis)ability inclusion specialist and researches inclusive education across sectors, social inclusion and has extensive experience in inclusive research design. Her interest in inclusion, and inclusive education is both personal and professional. She is mother to three children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). She therefore has lived experience in navigating the UK’s SEND support system as well as a keen interest and experience in this field of research.

She has a substantial recognised track record of providing effective leadership as Principal Investigator in funded research projects and as a leader in CREST.  She has worked on funded research projects for Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Derby City Councils as well as Big lottery, Department for Education and Social Mobility Commission. Her most recent projects on inclusive education were funded by the British Council and Research England (supported by Universities UK International) for project's in Indonesia and Ukraine. These projects co-created research outputs with partners, for example undergraduate modules, online distance learning courses and inclusivity champion training.

Zeta has been an executive member of the British Education Studies Association (BESA), now The International Education Studies Association (TIESA) for the last 16 years in leadership roles that have included being the first student representative, Conference Chair, Vice Chair and three-years as Chair. She is currently Chair of the Editorial board and Co-Editor for Educational Futures, which is the one of the association’s open access peer-reviewed journals. She has also recently completed several years as Co-Convenor for the British Education Research Association’s (BERA) Special Interest Group in Children and Childhoods.

She has a portfolio of research published in peer-reviewed journals and books. This has included highly regarded international journals, which include the European Early Childhood Education Research Journal and Education 3-13. She enjoys collaborating with national and international contributors on edited book and has had the privilege to work with colleagues on several books for Routledge. This includes publications with colleagues from Nigeria, Kenya, Greece, Saudi Arabia, India, United States, Brazil, Colombia, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. These edited books include:  

·       Inclusive Education: Perspectives on pedagogy, policy and practice (second edition due 2025)

·       Contemporary Issues in Childhood: A Bio-ecological Approach with Prof. Stephen Ward

·       Using Innovative Methods in Early Years Research: Beyond the Conventional with Dr Helen Perkins

·       Childhood Well-being and Resilience: Influences on Education Outcome with Sarah Mander

·       International Issues in SEND and Inclusion: Perspectives Across Six Continents with Prof. Alan Hodkinson