Thomas is studying part-time towards his DPhil and is planning a multi-level mixed-methods study looking at the exploring educational exclusion in Zimbabwe. Analysis of national datasets and population surveys will be complemented by school-level studies and qualitative research with excluded youth to provide a detailed and multi-level picture of exclusion in Zimbabwe.

After an undergraduate degree in Physics, Thomas retrained as a teacher and worked as a classroom teacher and in school leadership for 8 years, both in England and in Zambia. During this time, he also worked for an EdTech start-up looking to improve access to electricity through education. In 2020 Thomas stepped out of the classroom to study for an MSc in Comparative and International Education and since then he has worked as an associate lecturer at Goldsmith’s on their secondary science PGCE programme, as a research assistant and teaching assistant for the University of Oxford and as a freelance researcher.

Thomas is currently a doctoral teaching fellow on the master’s in educational assessment. Alongside this Thomas is a research assistant on the Standards in Welsh Qualifications project and the BrainWaves Project. Outside of his work with the University, Thomas is a research associate with UNICEF Innocenti office for research, on their Learning is For Everyone (LiFE) inclusive education project.