Dr Nigel Kettley

I am Academic Director and University Associate Professor in Education and Social Science. My academic interests are focused on issues of social inequality, life chances and social justice in the UK and beyond. I began my career as a Lecturer of Economics and Sociology in a large further education college before returning to study an MPhil and then a PhD in the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cambridge.

As Academic Director at PACE I have oversight of a range of programmes in the social sciences and in professional studies. Throughout my career I have emphasised the importance of inclusive, accessible and experiential teaching and learning for adults returning to study. Learning should be research informed, professionally and personally relevant, and engaging and exciting. Currently, I teach on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses for PACE, supervise postgraduate students and contribute to the international summer programme.    

I remain fascinated by the ability of social science to contribute to our understanding of social life. In addition to my work at PACE, I am a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the British Journal of Sociology of Education. I am also a Director of Studies in Education, Fellow and Tutor at Wolfson College, a member of the Faculty of Education, Cambridge, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. In 2017, I was awarded a Pilkington Prize for teaching excellence.