Delivering exceptional education and world-leading research
King's is one of England’s oldest universities, founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829. We have 14 Nobel laureates and have played a major role in many of the advances that shape modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. King’s continues to lead the way on research and pioneers new ideas to make the world a better place.
Due to its location in central London, King’s is well positioned to collaborate with leading cultural and academic institutions, including the Courtauld Institute of Art and the British Library, and we work in partnership with our local London communities to improve access to education, support the development of thriving local economies and contributing to solving problems such as air pollution and health inequalities. Internationalisation is a key priority for King’s; our impactful partnerships with global institutions and our engagement with a variety of international stakeholders in every region of the world support King’s mission to address shared global challenges.
King’s offers a vibrant and inclusive student community of over 42,000 students representing more than 190 countries. With a global alumni network of over 250,000, students benefit from world-class connections, mentoring, and career support. King’s strong local and international partnerships, dual degree programmes and study abroad options prepare graduates to thrive on the global stage.
King’s and Circle U.
King’s is a founding member of the Circle U. alliance and remains dedicated to advancing innovative educational models and enhancing its research environment through close collaboration with leading European partner universities.
Meet the Circle U. team at King’s
For any questions about Circle U. at King’s, please contact circle-u@kcl.ac.uk
Management Board member
Dr. Tania Lima
- Director of Global Engagement
- Board member
Dr. Tania Lima
- Director of Global Engagement
- Board member
Dr Tania Lima is the Director of Global Engagement at King’s College London, responsible for the College academic partnerships and country offices; in this role, she leads on partnership strategy, including implementation, delivery and evaluation, working closely with all Faculties at King’s.
Tania has a BSc in Biology from Universidade de Sao Paulo in Brazil, a Masters in Microbiology and Immunology from Federal University of Sao Paulo, and was a PhD exchange student in Molecular Biology at New York University, where she was also a post-doctoral fellow.
She has experience in international collaborative initiatives in genomics, bioinformatics and proteomics, as well as collaborations in cancer research, with a particular focus on international consortia and global partnerships.
At Universities UK International she was responsible for scholarship, capacity-building and research collaboration programmes, with special focus on government-funded programmes, outward student mobility, transnational education, and international scholarship schemes.
Tania is also the Lead PI in PADILEIA, a UK DFID grant to increase access to higher education for Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon using blended learning approaches.
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Academic Chair
Dr Alexander Clarkson
- Knowledge Hub for Democracy
- Academic Chair
Dr Alexander Clarkson
- Knowledge Hub for Democracy
- Academic Chair
Dan Banik is professor of political science, director of the Oslo SDG Initiative at the Centre for Development and the Environment, and affiliate professor at Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo. He is also Academic Director of the Democracy Hub at Circle U. European University Alliance and Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria. His books include Political Transition, Poverty, and Inclusive Development in Malawi: The Democratic Dividend; Poverty and Elusive Development; and Starvation and India’s Democracy. Prof. Banik was a Visiting Professor and Consulting Scholar at Stanford University (2010-2017) and a Visiting Professor at China Agricultural University (2012-2017). He is the host of the In Pursuit of Development podcast with listeners in 160 countries.
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Professor of political science
Centre for Development and the Environment
University of Oslo
Dr. Christina Richardson
- CU.til
- Academic Chair
Dr. Christina Richardson
- CU.til
- Academic Chair
Christina Richardson is Senior Lecturer in Language Education within the School of Education, Communication and Society where she works as a teacher educator, contributing to a range of language-related programmes. Her research interests, include teacher identity, decolonising the curriculum, and inclusive practices for learners with English as an Additional Language and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. She is leading an anti-racism in Initial Teacher Education Working group for the School’s Post-Graduate Certificate in Education programme. She is Editor-in-Chief of the EAL Journal, published by the National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum.
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School of Education, Communication and Society
Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy
King's College London
Dr. Jelena Dzakula
- CU.til
- Academic Chair
Dr. Jelena Dzakula
- CU.til
- Academic Chair
Jelena joined King’s in 2020 as a Lecturer in Digital Media and Communication. She previously worked at LSE as a Fellow, at the University of Westminster as an Associate Lecturer, and at Ofcom as a Policy Advisor. She has been lecturing for over a decade and has won multiple awards for her contributions in this area. Jelena has conducted research for and advised European Commission, RISJ, University of Oxford, Food Standards Agency, and a number of start-ups, consultancies and think-tanks.
Jelena holds a PhD in Media Policy from the University of Westminster, a Master’s degree from the same University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistic and Literature from the University of Belgrade, Serbia.
Jelena specialises in digital media and communications, with a special focus on regulatory and policy innovations. Currently she is conducting research into the use of artificial intelligence in higher education, and also looks at governance innovations when it comes to digital technologies.
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Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Communication
King’s College London
Dr. Hillary Briffa
- Knowledge Hub for Climate
- Academic Chair
Dr. Hillary Briffa
- Knowledge Hub for Climate
- Academic Chair
Dr Hillary Briffa is a Lecturer in National Security Studies at King’s College London, where she read for her Ph.D in War Studies (specialising in small state security). She is also a founding member of the Centre for Grand Strategy, where she leads the Climate Change and International Order portfolio.
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Department of War Studies, School of Security Studies
King's College London
Dr Ana Maria Sousa Aguiar de Medeiros
- CU.mil
- Academic Chair
Dr Ana Maria Sousa Aguiar de Medeiros
- CU.mil
- Academic Chair
Ana is Director of the Language Centre at King’s College London. She is a member of the Language Acts and Worldmaking Centre and co-editor of the Language Acts Book Series.
Recently, Ana has also published on the works of Marie Nimier and Amélie Nothomb and is interested in the intersection between language and identity, identity and gender. Previously Ana also wrote on the narratives of Assia Djebar and Marguerite Yourcenar.
From October 2024 Ana has been elected as the Chair of the Association of University Language Communities (AULC).
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Director of the King's Language Centre
King's College London
Dr. Rosie Mayston
- Knowledge Hub for Global Health
- Academic Chair
Dr. Rosie Mayston
- Knowledge Hub for Global Health
- Academic Chair
I am a mixed methods global health researcher with training in anthropology, demography and epidemiology. My work spans three inter-linked areas of health research in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC): depression, integrated care and ageing. I am particularly interested in global health capacity-building, equitable partnership and education.
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Department of Global Health & Social Medicine
King's College London
Prof. Dusko Ilic
- CU. InCUbator
- Academic Chair
Prof. Dusko Ilic
- CU. InCUbator
- Academic Chair
Dusko Ilic graduated Medical School and Molecular Biology in Belgrade, Serbia, and obtained Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo, Japan. The focus of his work is translational aspects of human reproduction, stem cell research, and development of sustainable technologies. He is technical co-founder and advisor to VitroLabs.
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Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine
King's College London
Dr Xianghan (Christine) O’Dea
- Knowledge Hub for Artificial Intelligence
- Academic Chair
Dr Xianghan (Christine) O’Dea
- Knowledge Hub for Artificial Intelligence
- Academic Chair
Xianghan (Christine) O’Dea is a Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy, and Reader in Management & Technology Education in the Department of Public Services Management & Organisation at King’s Business School. Her research focuses on AI in education (AIEd), with a particular focus on Generative AI and AI literacy; digital transformation and digital education.
She has published her research in high-impact journals, such as Studies in Higher Education, British Journal of Educational Technology, and Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences. She has also published featured articles regularly in prestigious media, such as Times Higher Education and Wonkhe. Currently Christine is Co-Editor-in-Chief of AI in Education (An Emerald Open Access Journal). Christine has recently published a book with Emerald (2024), titled “Effective Practices in AI Literacy Education: Case Studies and Reflections”. Another book she co-edited, titled “From AI Literacy to Generative AI Literacy: Theory, Policy and Practice” (Springer) will be published in early 2025.
Her recognized expertise in AIEd has led to numerous invitations to deliver workshops and seminars at the (inter) national level, including prestigious organizations, such as QAA, Society for Research Into Higher Education (SRHE) and Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE).
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Reader in Management & Technology Education
Department of Public Services Management & Organisation
King’s Business School
Pr. Sam Smidt
- Open Campus
- Academic Chair
Pr. Sam Smidt
- Open Campus
- Academic Chair
Sam is Academic Director of King’s Academy which is the education development team at King’s College London. She joined King’s in 2022 after nearly seven years in a similar role at UCL. Before that she was at the Open University for many years in the Faculty of Science and the office of the PVC Learning and Teaching.
Sam is a physicist by background and has many years’ experience of capacity building work in the field of online and distance learning and has worked on projects and consultancies in Central Asia, Russia and Bangladesh. She is particularly interested in programme design and supporting academics to consider a whole programme approach to learning design.
She has designed and developed MOOCs on the FutureLearn platform and developed a number of short courses for staff and students on UCL’s externally facing Moodle platform eXtend. Sam is a principal fellow of the HEA and is a member of AdvanceHE’s Fellowship and Accreditation Expert Advisory Group.
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Academic Director, King’s Academy
King's College London
Dr. Gabriel Reedy
- Open Campus
- Academic chair
Dr. Gabriel Reedy
- Open Campus
- Academic chair
Dr. Gabriel Reedy is programme director for the Masters in Clinical Education programme at King’s. His research focuses on how healthcare professionals, scientists, clinicians, and emergency responders learn, and in turn, how to support and train them more effectively. In particular, he studies how simulated environments can be used to help individuals learn and develop.
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Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine
King's College London
Dr. Mira Vogel
- Open Campus
- Academic Chair
Dr. Mira Vogel
- Open Campus
- Academic Chair
I am involved in embedding education for sustainability into curricula across King’s. Towards this, I enable educators to come together in different ways and think through how to equip students with the knowledge, competencies, and willingness to take action on nexus sustainability problems. Relatedly, I am interested in different dimensions of inclusive educational practice, focusing on hidden curriculum, equitable group work, and discussing sensitive topics across difference. I also enable (particularly) colleagues on education career pathways to carry out educational scholarship and be recognised for that.
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Senior Lecturer in Education
King's College London
