Dr Emma Carter (PhD) is a McKenzie Research Fellow at the Assessment and Evaluation Research Centre (AERC) at the University of Melbourne’s, Faculty of Education. She joined in April 2024, from the University of Cambridge, where she previously completed an MPhil and PhD in Psychology and Education through the Cambridge International Scholarship and Patrick Moore and Charles Allen Cambridge Australia Scholarship. Her academic trajectory includes several years as a Postdoctoral Researcher and Senior Research Associate at the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, where she worked on the mixed-method evaluations of two projects including the Complementary Basic Education program for out-of-school children in Ghana and the Mastercard Foundation’s Leaders in Teaching project in Rwanda. Emma has also undertaken consultancy work for the World Bank’s Global Education Division, notably in relation to the development the Teach Secondary classroom observation tool. In 2024, Emma was awarded the McKenzie Research Fellowship at the University of Melbourne, a highly a prestigious grant supporting early career researchers from international institutions to establish independent programs at the University of Melbourne.

Since joining the University of Melbourne, Emma has established a research program in partnership with the University of the Philippines Integrated School. This mixed-method study explores participatory contextualisation processes as well as the relationships between structural and process quality in secondary education via classroom observation measures. Another key achievement since starting her McKenzie Fellowship, is Emma’s significant contribution to the evaluation of the Power of Zero’s Superpower Program in the Philippines, an initiative focused on improving young children’s socio-emotional and digital literacy skills in order to protect them from the risks of online exposure, as well as help them to leverage the positive benefits of the internet. Currently, she also is part of the Power of Zero Advisory Group, who comprise global experts in childhood, technology, and education to offer insights on fostering children’s social-emotional skills in an increasingly digital world. She also serves on the international Editorial Panel of the Cambridge Journal of Education.

Recently, Emma’s success in research was acknowledged through her receiving the 2025 Award for Excellence in Mid-Career Research Achievements by the University of Melbourne, Faculty of Education.

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Emma Carter

McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow

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Dr

Emma Carter

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