Dr Abigail Branford

Leverhulme Early Career Fellow

Abigail Branford has long auburn hair and is wearing a black jumper

Dr Abigail Branford is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, where her research brings together education and comparative politics.

She studied at the University of Cape Town, followed by an MPhil in Education, Globalisation and Development at Cambridge, and an MSc in African Studies at Oxford. She completed her doctorate at Oxford's Department of Education and was subsequently awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the Economic and Social Research Council.
Her previous work explored the politics of academic publishing in West African universities.

She has also worked on how young people come to understand history, both within and beyond the classroom.
Her current project focuses on teacher involvement in processes of curriculum change, examining how educators, policymakers, and other stakeholders contribute to the development and reform of curricula across different contexts. This includes research on how curriculum reforms are shaped through interaction between state actors, academics, and teachers.

Beyond her research, she enjoys gardening in her allotment, with results that are best described as 'experimental.'

Research Clusters:

  • Social and political activism

Research Disciplines: 

  • Comparative Politics
  • Education

Research Keywords

  • Education
  • Africa
  • History Education
  • Democracy