Rate My Professor Deborah Youdell

Professor Deborah Youdell is Professor of Education and Dean of the Macquarie School of Education in the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University, commencing in this leadership role in July 2023. She possesses a PhD in Sociology of Education from the Institute of Education, University of London; an MA in Women and Writing from the University of East Anglia; a BSc in Applied Social Science from the University of North London; and a PGCert in Education Studies focused on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from Macquarie University. Prior to returning to Macquarie University, Youdell held the position of Professor of Sociology of Education and served as Head of the School of Education and Director of the Public Service Academy at the University of Birmingham, where she continues as an Honorary Professor. Earlier, she was Lecturer in Education Policy and Contextual Studies at Macquarie University.

Internationally renowned for her contributions to education research, Deborah Youdell has pioneered the field of biosocial research in education while leading sociological investigations into educational inequalities, school practices, student and learner subjectivities, and identities. Her scholarship has elevated the study of learner identities to a central place in education research. Notable publications encompass Biosocial Education: The Social and Biological Entanglements of Learning (Routledge, 2019, with Martin R. Lindley), School Trouble: Identity, Power and Politics in Education (Routledge, 2011), Hidden Privatisation in Public Education (Education International, 2008, with Stephen J. Ball), Impossible Bodies, Impossible Selves: Exclusions and Student Subjectivities (Sense Publishers, 2006), and her co-authored book with David Gillborn named Book of the Year by the Society for Education Studies. Recent works include 'Why Evidence is Important in Education Policy and Practice' (2024, with Penny Van Bergen and Mary Ryan) and 'The Affective Force of Grade Retention' (2025, with Alejandra Meyer). Youdell received a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship in 2015. Her research garners over 9,045 citations on Google Scholar, underscoring her profound influence on the field.