Gareth Robinson is a Senior Research Fellow at Queen’s Communities and Place (QCAP) responsible for the implementation and delivery of a strategic dimension of place called Education, Skills, and Inclusive Innovation. This investigates the relationship between working-class communities, education, and urban futures, in the context of a growing knowledge economy. The principal aim of this work is to promote a more inclusive knowledge economy and empower underserved communities with increasing involvement in knowledge processes—at a basic level this is about improving educational outcomes and opportunities in ways that equip these communities for the future.

A further element of his current role is to investigate the disparities in rates of school exclusion across the UK as part of the ESRC funded Excluded Lives project.

He is also a member of the Sharing Education Programme team at SSESW, seeking opportunities to develop and enhance the Shared Education model of school collaboration, and to also explore how it might support schools in international contexts of conflict and crises.

Previous experience includes research and consultancy with international NGOs and the local public sector, providing services to the economic and education sectors in Northern Ireland. This included large scale evaluations, longitudinal surveys, and feasibility studies.

Relate to the transformative potential of education. Particularly in how educators and learners can be empowered as agents of change in different contexts. His current research interests are motivated by supporting the needs of local working-class communities to ensure that they can adapt and thrive in future economic realities. This involves project work exploring the transformative potential of education for urban communities: education and urban futures, development of community-based intellectual assets, and school-community partnerships. Other interests include: School networks and collaboration; School improvement; Critical pedagogies; relationship between Place and Education; Social network analysis; Education in divided societies; and Civic-led engagement in Urban Innovation.

Associate Fellow of the UNESCO Chair in Issues Based Arts Education, Intercultural Dialogue, and Social Cohesion at ArtEZ University of the Arts, The Netherlands.