Hilary Burgess

Professor Hilary Burgess came to Leicester in 2010 from a position at the Open University, joining her husband Robert Burgess, who had been Vice-Chancellor since 1999. Like ‘Sir Bob’, Hilary has a passion for the sociology of education. She was appointed as Director of Studies in the School of Education where she was a driving force behind major developments in the School’s teaching and research.

Hilary’s approach to learning and teaching has been influenced by her early career as a primary school teacher and her roles in teacher training that have included leading a large Primary PGCE programme and mentor training for primary and secondary school teachers. From 2013 to 2016 she was editor of the respected journal Research Intelligence.

Her books include Achieving Your Doctorate in Education (co-written with Sandy Sieminski and Lore Arthur) which provides a detailed examination of all aspects of completing a doctorate in education, from research methodologies, to the analysis of data. She also co-edited (with Imogen Taylor) Effective Learning and Teaching in Social Policy and Social Work. Written to meet the needs of teachers, lecturers and tutors working at different levels and in many situations, this is an authoritative guide to understanding the key issues, best practice and new developments in social work and social policy. Hilary retired from the University in 2014 at the same time as Sir Bob but is still Emeritus.