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Stella Mascarenhas-Keyes

Stella has a PhD in Social Anthropology, MA in Higher and Professional Education, and BSc in Psychology. She holds professional certificates in Training and Education Development; and Leadership and Management.
Institution
Advance HE
Job Title
Associate

Following a lectureship at London University, and research on curricula and andragogy, she developed and delivered a programme for anthropology lecturers to use discipline-based learner centred approaches. She set up communities of practice and communities of interest to facilitate sustained peer learning. She facilitated the incorporation into university anthropology curricula an applied anthropology course combining knowledge and transversal skills acquisition she originally developed as an extra-curricular programme for researchers to work in non-academic employment.

She published a curriculum resource manual for university lecturers with detailed facilitator notes, cases studies and multiple resources, as well as a paper in an edited book on teaching practices in universities in Europe. She delivers the British Council Research Connect programme in person and online to train overseas academics to write research funding proposals, research papers, develop international collaborations, and enhance communication skills. She has evaluated European Commission sponsored international professional development programmes in Europe, ME and Africa for teachers, lecturers, and migrant entrepreneurs, resulting in significant improvements in content, pedagogy and andragogy which takes account of socio-economic and cultural contexts.

She has extensive national and international academic and applied research and evaluation experience on international migration, diaspora communities, education, entrepreneurship, innovation and industrial policy. She has published a book and academic papers on her doctoral and postdoctoral research. When employed as a government social researcher, she commissioned and managed research projects, and undertook policy focussed empirical research in UK, China, and India under an ESRC Knowledge Transfer Fellowship. She has provided oral and written briefings for Ministers and policy officials. She was employed as a policy adviser in several government departments, and currently trains officials to use research evidence in policy development and implementation. She has held management and research roles in the UK voluntary sector. She uses her experiences of working in various institutions to support academic researchers on develop and implement strategies to increase the impact of their research beyond academia.

Stella has both lived and professional experience of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion issues. She has drawn on her own experience and published paper on undertaking doctoral research as a native anthropologist to incorporate this into research methods courses. She has highlighted the lack of incorporation of Black composers and musicians in music education syllabuses and concerts. She has taught on an HE access course and mentored student parents. She has undertaken research on widening participation to HE (ethnic minorities, dyslexics, women, mature students, international students), and knowledge-based ethnic minority international entrepreneurship, which has influenced government and institutional policy and practice. She has coordinated a research and development programme involving several civil society organisations, each focusing on a specific protected characteristic.

She has served on the committees of: professional bodies in social anthropology, higher education and government research; schools and colleges; charities and community organisations.