Making the Transition: Supporting Mathematicians Moving into Education Research and Pedagogical Scholarship

Wednesday 29 April 2026 
School of Mathematics, University of Leeds (and hybrid)

This workshop has now taken place. Thank you to all who attended.

Workshop Reflections and Outcomes

The one day workshop successfully brought together mathematicians from higher education institutions across the UK and beyond who are exploring or pursuing education research and pedagogical scholarship. By focusing explicitly on this transition, the event provided a dedicated space for colleagues to reflect on their career trajectories, seek practical advice, and draw on the experiences of peers who have already successfully navigated this path.

Inclusive Design and Global Reach

Inclusivity and accessibility were at the centre of the event’s design. The hybrid format enabled a genuinely global conversation, bringing together 109 participants from 41 institutions across 8 countries, including the UK, Argentina, the Czech Republic, South Africa, the USA, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines. This approach allowed 36 attendees to join us in person in Leeds while 73 participated online, overcoming geographical and time zone barriers.

We welcomed colleagues at all career stages, from early career academics planning their first education research project, to established mathematicians reorienting their research focus towards teaching and learning.

To further support accessibility, we are pleased to make recordings of workshop sessions available. These resources allow colleagues to explore sessions they missed and revisit those they attended, whether you joined us in person, online, or are encountering the workshop for the first time.

A Space for Collaboration

The day opened with a keynote from Michael Grove (University of Birmingham), who set the tone by making the case that mathematical research skills translate directly into education scholarship, giving participants a confident starting point for thinking about their own potential contributions to the field.

A panel discussion on career pathways, led by Alison Voice (University of Leeds) alongside the other workshop speakers, gave participants an honest and varied picture of what the transition looks like in practice. Hearing directly from colleagues who had navigated the shift (including the uncertainties alongside the successes) was one of the most valued parts of the day.

The afternoon sessions addressed in turn the practical substance of moving into the pedagogical space. Samantha Pugh (University of Leeds) spoke on securing funding and working with PhD students, offering concrete strategies for building an educational research programme. Cosette Crisan (UCL) then led a session on data collection and analysis, giving participants frameworks for working confidently with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Chris Sangwin (University of Edinburgh) closed the day with an expert guide to publishing in mathematics education journals, where conventions around argumentation, literature, and contribution differ meaningfully from those in disciplinary mathematics.

Sessions throughout the day invited participants to articulate their research interests, sketch study designs, and consider appropriate methods for their own questions. Networking breaks and informal conversations were an important part of the event, allowing participants to connect with others navigating similar transitions and explore possibilities for collaborative projects across institutions.

Looking Forward 

We hope the conversations that began on the day will continue long after the event itself. There is clearly much more to explore, and we are committed to creating further opportunities for this community to connect, collaborate, and develop. If you would like to discuss future initiatives or share what has emerged from the workshop in your own work, please do get in touch.

Organisers: 

Dr Costas Loizou –  c.loizou@leeds.ac.uk
Professor Kevin Houston – k.houston@leeds.ac.uk

IMA/RSS/LMS Higher Education Teaching and Learning Workshop Series 2025/26
This workshop is part of a series funded by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and the London Mathematical Society (LMS). The other workshops in the series are as follows:

• A Mathematical Sciences Curriculum in the Age of Generative AI, University College London, 01/06/2026
• Producing and Designing Accessible HTML Course Materials, University of Edinburgh, 08/06/2026
• AI as a learning tool in Quantitative disciplines: Dissertation to Career and the skills that matter, University of Southampton, 30/06/26
• Engaging with Students as Partners in the Mathematical Sciences, University of Manchester, 06/07/2026

Higher Education Teaching and Learning Workshop Series 2025/6 – Successful Proposals.

All workshops in the series are free to attend but require booking a place.