Biography
Dr Alexander Heinz is Co-Chair of the Summer Executive at King’s College London. A senior associate director, he has been building King’s large education portfolio of cutting-edge, diverse academic summer education opportunities from their early beginnings in London and overseas. As an experienced leader of dynamic teams, he was brought in to set up and transform two key internationally-facing units in the College’s international strategy: King’s Global Engagement and King’s International Programmes.
Dr Heinz was a degree and doctoral scholar of the German National Merit Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Part of his research focuses on the intersection of historical national perceptions and identity, and he is currently engaged in editing a tome on Frida Kahlo’s deep roots with German culture and thought. His research into education and learning sets out a wide range of progressive education initiatives.
He has forged impactful national and international collaborations with higher education institutions and high-profile cultural and political organisations in different global regions such as the Fulbright Commission, UNHCR and the British Council. Alongside his commercial work, Dr Heinz is passionate about access to education, for example through setting up summer schools in India and education schemes for refugees and students with disabilities. Most recently, Dr Heinz initiated and co-leads a scheme to improve racially inclusive practices for staff involved in HE.
Dr Heinz is a regularly requested speaker at international conferences and a thought leader in realising the creative and inclusive potential of short-term programmes. He is Chair of the Summer Schools Expert Community of the European Association for International Education; a member of the NAFSA Trainer Corps, and in 2021-23 inaugural NAFSA e-Learning Dean for the “Developing Short-Term Education Abroad Programs” course. He has been an appointment panellist for NAFSA RISE Fellows and for the Fulbright Commission.
He has lived and studied in France, Germany and the UK. He holds a PhD from King’s. He graduated with a Masters degree from Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris, following a British BA (Hons), both with distinction. He is a member of the British synod for German Lutheran churches.
Research interests
- International education
- Experiential learning
- Perceptions of the national other
- Personal agency
- Art and identity
Publications
(BOOK) “Frida Kahlo’s Germany” Heinz, A. & Klotz, J. (eds.), J.S. Klotz Verlag. 2022 (forthcoming).
(PAPER) “Revolutionärinnen des Establishments Dora Wibiral and Dorothea Seeligmüller” Heinz, A., Kramer, J., Walter S. Klassikstiftung Weimar, Bauhaus-Museum, Weimar (14 April 2022)
(BOOK CHAPTER) “Improving Inclusion: Short Courses as an Opportunity for Transnational Education”. Williamson, S. & Heinz, A. 2021 in Importing Transnational Education. Tsiligiris, V., Lawton, W., Hill, C. (eds.) Palgrave Macmillan. p. 251 – 261.
(CONFERENCE PAPER) “Creating Effective Learning Communities in TNE”. Heinz, A. & Bond, H., TNE Hub Symposium, 31 March 2021, King’s College London UK.
(ARTICLE) “Virtual Summers – The Future of Summer Schools”. Heinz. A. with Kapoor, N. (Oslo University), European Association for International Education (EAIE) Winter Forum 2020.
(CONFERENCE PAPER). “Summer? A Professional Life.” Heinz, A.. European Association for International Education (EAIE) 2020 Community Exchange, online.
(ARTICLE) “Transnational Dialogues on Disability: Internationalising Untouched Areas of HEIs”. Heinz, A. & Ishmael-Byers L. (King’s), European Association for International Education (EAIE) Winter Forum 2019.
(CONFERENCE POSTER) “A Diplomatic Approach - Constructing the Academy from Flying Faculty and Online Learning”. Heinz, A. British Council, Going Global 2019, Berlin, Germany.
(CONFERENCE PAPER) “The Impact of Preparatory University Programmes on School Students’ Academic Development”. Heinz A. & Edwards, M. (Sevenoaks) & Peine, L. (King’s), UCAS Teachers and Adviser's Conference 2019, Glasgow UK.
(CONFERENCE PAPER) “Summer Schools: A Space for Creative Education”. Heinz. A. & Kapoor, N. (Oslo University) & Kinnear, J. (UNC Chapel Hill). European Association for International Education (EAIE) 2019, Helsinki, Finland.
(CONFERENCE POSTER) “Students Shape Policy Internationally: Dialogues on Disability”. Heinz. A. & Ishmael-Byers, L. (King’s). NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2019, Washington D.C., & European Association for International Education (EAIE) 2019, Helsinki, Finland.
(CONFERENCE PAPER) “Ways of Building Student Resilience Through Integrative Global Learning”. Heinz. A. & Constanza, K., UNC, Forum on Education Abroad 2019, Denver, USA.
(CONFERENCE PAPER): “Improving Inclusion: Short Courses as an Opportunity for International Education”. Heinz. A., British Universities Transnational Exchange (BUTEX) Winter Workshop 2018, Birmingham UK.
(CONFERENCE POSTER) “Collaborative Summer Schools: Win Win or Double Trouble?”. Heinz. A. with VU Amsterdam, European Association for International Education (EAIE) 2018, Geneva, Switzerland.
(CONFERENCE POSTER) “Refugees and Homeless Students: Making a Home at University.” Heinz. A., NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2018, Philadelphia, USA.
(CONFERENCE POSTER) “Inclusive Summer Schools”. Heinz, A. & Williamson S., NAFSA: Association of International Educators 2017, Los Angeles, USA & European Association for International Education (EAIE) 2017, Seville, Spain.
(CONFERENCE PAPER) “Summer Schools Abroad: Is There a Recipe For Success?”. British Universities Transnational Exchange (BUTEX) 2018, Lancaster UK.
(CONFERENCE PAPER) “Improving Inclusion: Short Courses as an Opportunity for Transnational Education”. Williamson S. & Heinz, A., July 11, 2018, “Transnational Education: Innovations in Practice”, Second TNE Hub Symposium, City University, London UK.
(BOOK) “Oh German! I thought there was something wrong with you.” Heinz, A. Wissner. 2013.