Dr Jack Lee
- Senior Lecturer in Higher Education (School of Education)
Biography
I joined Glasgow in September 2023 as Senior Lecturer in Higher Education. I am the programme leader for MSc. International and Comparative Education. My career in education started at the University of British Columbia, Canada, where I designed and delivered international programs and intercultural communication training for students, academics, foreign affairs personnel, corporations and community organisations (2001-09). My doctoral work investigated the development of education hubs in East and Southeast Asia on issues of talent development, geopolitics, and soft power. I have since worked for Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan), University of Bath (directing a large doctoral program with 178 students from 46 countries), and University of Edinburgh. In a different lifetime, I also worked for the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Germany and the British Columbia Cancer Research Centre in Canada. Scotland is my 8th country of residence.
PhD (Higher Education; Comparative, International, and Development Education), University of Toronto
M.Ed. (Adult Education), University of British Columbia
B.Sc. (Microbiology & Immunology), University of British Columbia
Research interests
My research focuses on the politics of higher education from a comparative and international perspective. My latest publication "Romanticising Decolonisation" takes a critical view of decolonisation discourse and practices in education by drawing on 5 societies I have lived in.
- Higher education
- Comparative & international education
- Politics of education (policymaking, geopolitics, soft power, regionalisation)
- Global South
- Decolonisation
- Social justice
Grants
Hong Kong Research Grants Council’s General Research Fund – “From Excellence to Impact: A Comparative Study of Research Assessment in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom” Co-I with William Lo. (2023)
Education University of Hong Kong Internal Research Grant – investigated China’s “One Belt, One Road” regionalisation initiative and higher education cooperation between China and Kazakhstan. Co-PI with William Lo. (2017)
Kazakhstan Ministry of Education and Science Competitive Grant – “Faculty Mobility and Research Capacity Building” Co-PI with Aliya Kuzhabekova. (2014-16)
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Canada) – doctoral fellowship (2012)
Supervision
I welcome students to contact me about shared research interests and doctoral supervision. I currently supervise the following doctoral students:
- Izham, Nur Afzan Binti
KNOWLEDGE SHARING PRACTICES & INTERACTION PATTERNS AMONG ACADEMICIANS IN MALAYSIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
I have successfully supervised these doctoral students to completion:
Paula Sanderson (2023), Transnational Education: Inclusive Development or Recolonisation? (University of Bath); winner of Dissertation of the Year (2024), Higher Education SIG, Comparative and International Education Society (CIES)
Dana Abdrasheva (2023), National Aspirations in Higher Education Institutional Partnership: The Case of Kazakhstan and China (Education University of Hong Kong)
Katalin Kovacs (2021), A case study based in Mongolia: Does the accreditation process improve student learning performances? (University of Bath)
Fahdia Khalid (2021), University Industry Knowledge Exchange for Academic’s Professional Development (University of Bath)
Wael Mekdach (2020), The Role of Organizational Culture in Shaping the Academic and Societal Roles of Lebanese Private Higher (University of Bath) -- awarded the Richard and Shirley Mawditt Prize for the Best DBA dissertation 2020
Togzhan Jumagulova (2018), Student Financial Aid Policies in Comparative Perspective: Equity and Efficiency Issues in Kazakhstan and Ontario, Canada (Nazarbayev University)
Teaching
I'm currently teaching the following courses in 2024-25: Internationalisation of Education, Introduction to Educational and Social Research, and Modern Educational Thought.
Professional activities & recognition
Prizes, awards & distinctions
- 2015: Best Dissertation (Higher Education Special Interest Group, Comparative and International Education Society)
- 2021: Teacher of the Year (runner-up) (Edinburgh University Student Association)
Editorial boards
- 2023 - 2026: Compare
Additional information
I am affiliated with the International Centre for Higher Education Management at the University of Bath as a visiting professor (guest lectures for its doctoral program).
I am a member of the executive committee of the British Association for International and Comparative Education (BAICE).
I am on the editorial board of Compare.