
Dr Emma Towers
Senior Lecturer in Education Policy
Biography
Emma’s professional background is in teaching and before joining King’s, Emma taught for more than 10 years in London primary schools. Since then, she has collaborated on research projects here at the School of Education, Communication & Society and at UCL Institute of Education.
Research
Emma’s primary research interests lie in education policy, and in teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools as well as in higher education. Her research interests include:
-
Teachers’ lives, teacher education and teacher wellbeing
-
Teacher retention and teacher identity
-
Primary and secondary school education
-
Postgraduate student learning experiences and learner identities
Teaching
Emma is the Deputy Programme Director for the MA Education, Policy and Society and teaches on modules related to this MA, including Critical Perspectives on Education Policy and Social Context of Education. She co-convenes the Research Methods & Dissertation module offered to all MA Education & Society programmes in the School. She teaches on a distance-learning Executive MA International Education supported by Nord Anglia Education. She also teaches on the PGCE and contributes more widely to teaching throughout the School.
She convenes the following modules:
- Critical Perspectives on Education Policy (MA Education, Policy and Society)
- Intercultural Education in International Schools (MA International Education)
- Research Methods and Dissertation (MA Education & Society)
PhD supervision
Emma is interested in supervising doctoral work in the area of education policy, schools and teaching and learning.
Emma currently supervises the following doctoral students:
- Xiaojing (Chelsey) Chen: The Transitions of Chinese Students as they progress through Post-Graduate Taught (PGT) degrees in UK Higher Education.
- Amy Dodd: Exploring the experiences of the sexual harassment of female teachers in secondary schools.
- Ratha Perumal: The Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) under-attainment gap in higher education: An exploration of its prevalence and possible causes in a post-1992 institution.
- Saffron Powell: In what ways does initial teacher education (ITE) in higher education institutions in England prepare teachers for an ethnically diverse society?
Further information
For publications and further information please see Emma's PURE research profile.
Research

Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR)
The Centre for Public Policy Research is an interdisciplinary research centre research developing critical analyses of social change and social in/justice in education and other policy arenas, sectors and contexts to inform national and international policy debate, social activism, and personal, professional and organisational learning.

Sustaining teacher quality and retention post-pandemic
This project examines the impact of the substantial changes and sustained disruption caused by Covid-19 to the development of secondary school teachers.
Project status: Completed

Postgraduate student experience: identity, belonging and attainment
A qualitative study of how postgraduate student identity impacts their teaching & learning experiences, their sense of belonging and their academic attainment.
Project status: Ongoing
News
Joint supervisors win Faculty Supervisory Excellence Awards
Dr Emma Towers and Professor Meg Maguire have jointly won the Supervisory Excellence Award 2024 for the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy.

New online course developed from King's academics' resource book
Following the release of the sixth edition of resource book 'Becoming a Teacher', staff from the School of Education Community and Society have developed a...

ECS academics and PhD students to share their expertise at the 2023 BERA annual conference
Researchers from across the School of Education, Communication & Society (ECS) will be presenting papers, sharing research findings, and leading symposia and...

Research-informed primer book for teachers now up-to-date with latest educational issues
The School of Education, Communication & Society (ECS) at King’s College London has come together to celebrate the publication of the 6th edition of Becoming...

Key resource for new teachers now updated with contemporary issues in education
The sixth edition of Becoming a Teacher – Issues in Secondary Education has been published, now including new chapters on recent educational issues.

Events

Education & Society Online Postgraduate Offer Holder Event - 10 June 2025
Discover more about studying our Education & Society postgraduate programmes at King's
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
A book, a business, and a Master's degree: just the start of the journey
Onyinye Udokporo (MA Education, Policy and Society 2020) started a tutoring business at age 12, won Student of the Year at King’s College London and was named...

Spotlight
New online course developed from King's academics' resource book
Following the release of the sixth edition of resource book 'Becoming a Teacher', staff from the School of Education Community and Society have developed a...

Research

Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR)
The Centre for Public Policy Research is an interdisciplinary research centre research developing critical analyses of social change and social in/justice in education and other policy arenas, sectors and contexts to inform national and international policy debate, social activism, and personal, professional and organisational learning.

Sustaining teacher quality and retention post-pandemic
This project examines the impact of the substantial changes and sustained disruption caused by Covid-19 to the development of secondary school teachers.
Project status: Completed

Postgraduate student experience: identity, belonging and attainment
A qualitative study of how postgraduate student identity impacts their teaching & learning experiences, their sense of belonging and their academic attainment.
Project status: Ongoing
News
Joint supervisors win Faculty Supervisory Excellence Awards
Dr Emma Towers and Professor Meg Maguire have jointly won the Supervisory Excellence Award 2024 for the Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy.

New online course developed from King's academics' resource book
Following the release of the sixth edition of resource book 'Becoming a Teacher', staff from the School of Education Community and Society have developed a...

ECS academics and PhD students to share their expertise at the 2023 BERA annual conference
Researchers from across the School of Education, Communication & Society (ECS) will be presenting papers, sharing research findings, and leading symposia and...

Research-informed primer book for teachers now up-to-date with latest educational issues
The School of Education, Communication & Society (ECS) at King’s College London has come together to celebrate the publication of the 6th edition of Becoming...

Key resource for new teachers now updated with contemporary issues in education
The sixth edition of Becoming a Teacher – Issues in Secondary Education has been published, now including new chapters on recent educational issues.

Events

Education & Society Online Postgraduate Offer Holder Event - 10 June 2025
Discover more about studying our Education & Society postgraduate programmes at King's
Please note: this event has passed.
Features
A book, a business, and a Master's degree: just the start of the journey
Onyinye Udokporo (MA Education, Policy and Society 2020) started a tutoring business at age 12, won Student of the Year at King’s College London and was named...

Spotlight
New online course developed from King's academics' resource book
Following the release of the sixth edition of resource book 'Becoming a Teacher', staff from the School of Education Community and Society have developed a...
