Dr Natia Sopromadze is a postdoctoral research assistant at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at the University of Wolverhampton. She graduated from the University of Warwick with a PhD in education and pursued her early career fellowship at the Warwick Institute of Advanced Study. Natia’s PhD research, funded by the Chancellor’s International Scholarship, explored the role of emotional intelligence in middle leadership at Georgian and English universities. The comparative analysis uncovered hidden struggles academics face in the time of higher education restructuring and carried practical implications for sustaining a supportive work environment in academic departments.

Natia’s current research at Wolverhampton continues to examine how higher education institutions can build inclusive cultures with high levels of student and staff engagement. She is co-ordinating The University of Wolverhampton Big Read project – a shared reading scheme for students and staff to make them feel part of the university community. She is also involved in research projects aimed at developing inclusive science education at tertiary level and redesigning higher education learning spaces.

Natia’s research interests also include innovative and creative methodologies that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. She has co-organised an interdisciplinary online symposium on ‘Methodological Innovations in Cultural Research’.