Liz Atkins

Liz joined Northumbria University in March 2015, moving from Federation University Australia.

Liz qualified as a psychiatric nurse in 1982, and practiced in psychiatry for a number of years before moving to teach in Further Education in the 1990s. She graduated with a BA (Hons) Education and Training (first class) and began a part time doctorate in 2001. Her thesis was subsequently published by Trentham in 2009 as Invisible Students, Impossible Dreams. This work is considered ground-breaking in drawing attention to the issues around the education of young people with complex needs on low-level vocational programmes, and, in common with all Liz’s teaching and research, was informed by a strong commitment to social justice.

Liz has published widely on a range of issues related to vocational education, and has also co-authored a number of practitioner texts. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and holds executive positions in a number of research associations. Liz has previously worked at Nottingham Trent University, the University of Huddersfield, and Federation University Australia. Liz is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Huddersfield.