HASS Inaugural Lecture Professor Neil Harrison

The faculty are warmly welcomed to attend Professor Neil Harrison’s Inaugural Lecture, taking place on Wednesday, 6th May 2026 in North Cloisters 12, St Lukes Campus, University of Exeter.

Our standard running order for the event is as follows:

• 15:45 Doors Open
• 16:00 Welcome/Introductory Speech by DPVC
• 16:05 Lecture
• 16:45 Q&A Session
• 16:55 Closing (HoD)
• 17:00 Drinks Reception
• 18:00 Finish

The lecture will explore the processes by which young people understand their futures and how they make educational decisions that have far-reaching implications for their lives. It will pull together threads from sociology and social psychology to illustrate how decision-making is often misunderstood by researchers, policymakers and other adults, arguing that this is a 'wicked problem' for social justice.

Professor Neil Harrison's Bio:

Professor Neil Harrison is a researcher and educator specialising in social justice, inequalities and education policy. His work primarily focuses on issues around access to education, especially for learners who are disadvantaged or marginalised in society. This includes topics such as decision-making processes, outreach programmes, financial support, alternative qualification routes and the factors underpinning student success.

More recently, his research has particularly focused on educational outcomes for care-experienced learners, receiving funding from the Nuffield Foundation, the KPMG Foundation and the British Academy. He has also researched around the engagement of students in internationalised universities, as well as having interests in pedagogy, epistemology, ‘expertise’ and doctoral education.

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Host or Publisher Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences