Experts

Alex has an established reputation as a leading voice in national conversations relating to masculinity, education, inequality and access to Higher Education. Since completing his doctoral research which focused inequality and access to university for white working-class boys in the West Midlands in 2020, he has been a regular speaker at national conferences of the British Sociological Association, British Educational Research Association, Forum for Access and Continuation, and Higher Education

Ruth is the Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation. She was previously Director of fiscal policy at HM Treasury (HMT) where she worked for over 15 years. Her career has focused on domestic economic policy including labour markets, tax, fiscal policy and financial regulation. Ruth has held a wide range of roles in HMT, including working in the Chancellor’s private office, supporting the Independent Commission on Banking, and leading the Treasury’s distributional analysis.

Jay Dwyer-Joyce is a PhD researcher at University College London, where their work focuses on trust in digital systems. Their research examines the Post Office Horizon case as a critical example of how large-scale technical systems can fail and the profound consequences of misplaced trust in technology. They are particularly interested in how digital systems can be designed to generate clear, verifiable evidence of their own reliability. Through this work, they aim to inform better system design,

Richard Gater is a researcher at the Centre for Adult Social Care Research, Cardiff University, and author of The 21st Century Lads: Continuity and Changes among Marginalised Young Men from the South Wales Valleys. His research interests include masculinities, gender, education, employment, social class, and health and well-being.

Director of the Brunel Centre

Suraj Modhvadiya leads on international student and staff recruitment, compliance and immigration policy. He engages with members, government departments and sector bodies to shape policy positions, align priorities and deliver coordinated advocacy. His background spans membership bodies, advocacy groups and research organisations, and he specialises in using data and evidence to inform policy, tackle challenges and champion the UK’s global education offer.