Professor Robin Shields

Robin Shields is an experienced teacher and educational researcher. His research examines how new sources of data and statistical models can be used to understand global trends in education. He is particularly interested in using social network analysis to understand global networks in education, and his recent research has also examined how international higher education is implicated in the crisis of global climate change.

Professor Shields has held grants from the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council, the European Commission, the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, and other funders, totalling more than $4.8 million across his career. He has also served as co-editor of the journal Comparative Education Review, the executive committee of the British Association for International Education, and undertaken consultancies for national and international NGOs and UNESCO.

A committed teacher, Professor Shields enjoys undertaking technological innovation in his teaching practice while experimenting with gamification and simulation-based learning. In recognition of these qualities, he received the University of Bristol’s Inspiring and Innovative Teaching Award in 2021 and served as the School Education Director. At the University of Bath, he directed the doctoral program in higher education management.

As Head of School, Robin has overall responsibility for leadership, strategy, and development of a leading centre of educational research and teaching in Australia and beyond. The School has a strong commitment to social justice and celebration of Indigenous knowledge and peoples, which are key priorities in Robin’s work as Head of School.