Dr. Zahra Salimi

Dr. Zahra Salimi is the Academic Lead for Research & Enterprise at Brenkley Doctoral College, with responsibility for academic quality assurance across all programmes. She joined Brenkley Doctoral College as a founding member of the academic team, bringing extensive experience in higher and further education leadership and in doctoral supervision.

Zahra's academic background is in education policy and leadership, with a focus on how educational systems respond to reform agendas and how leaders within those systems navigate the intersection of policy, professional values, and institutional culture. Her own doctoral research examined the experience of women leading post-compulsory education institutions in England, using narrative inquiry to explore identity, legitimacy, and the management of competing expectations.

As a methodologist, Zahra is a committed advocate for qualitative approaches in practitioner research. She has published on the ethics and epistemology of insider research, the use of interpretive phenomenological analysis in professional doctorate contexts, and the distinctive challenges facing practitioner-researchers who must manage the dual roles of practitioner and researcher within their own organisations.

In her role as Academic Lead for Research & Enterprise, Zahra oversees admissions, programme design, supervisor development, and assessment processes. She chairs the Quality Assurance Committee and leads Brenkley Doctoral College's annual internal audit processes. She is also the primary contact for researchers who wish to raise concerns about their supervisory experience.