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Emma  Towers

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

    women at wokr
    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.

    School classroom student and teacher
    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

    Mili Emma research team full
    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.

    EmmaMeg2024SSPPSEAward

    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...

    contemporary art image of laptop and books representing an online course

    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...

    Sara Black speaking at event with audience members in the background.

    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...

    BAT book launch coeditors

    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.

    BAT book launch coeditors

    Events

    10Jun

    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...

    woman showing something on computer to man - by desola lanre ologun - 1903x558

    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...

    a woman sits smiling typing on a laptop.

      Research

      women at wokr
      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.

      School classroom student and teacher
      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

      Mili Emma research team full
      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.

      EmmaMeg2024SSPPSEAward

      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...

      contemporary art image of laptop and books representing an online course

      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...

      Sara Black speaking at event with audience members in the background.

      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...

      BAT book launch coeditors

      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.

      BAT book launch coeditors

      Events

      10Jun

      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...

      woman showing something on computer to man - by desola lanre ologun - 1903x558

      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...

      a woman sits smiling typing on a laptop.