Dr Andie Reynolds

Lecturer

Biography

Background

I joined the University of Edinburgh in January 2021. I was previously the Programme Director of the MSc Social Justice and Community Action (2021-2024), and now a Lecturer in Learning in Communities. I previously worked at Northumbria University in the Department for Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing (2011-2020), first as a Graduate Tutor, and later as a Lecturer in Childhood & Youth Studies and Social Work.

Prior to joining academia I worked as a practitioner and researcher in the civil society and education sector across six different countries (Australia, Ecuador, Nicaragua Ethiopia, UK and USA). I am a qualified youth and community worker, ESOL teacher, and an accredited member of the CLD Standards Council for Scotland.

My academic and practitioner experience has focused on tackling structural inequality and creating policy change, particularly in the fields of youth mental health, refugee education and psychosocial support, and community development. I am committed to participatory and social justice approaches that bridge research, policy, and practice. My work has informed national and international initiatives, including university access for displaced learners, mental health support in youth work settings, and inclusive teacher training in refugee camps. 

Qualifications

MA (Hons) Sociology - University of Glasgow

MSc Social Research – University of Strathclyde

Postgraduate Certificate in Community Education – University of Strathclyde

PhD Community Development – Northumbria University

 

Responsibilities & affiliations

  • Academic Coordinator of Adjustment and Accessible Learning (MHSES)
  • Steering Group member for the Comparative Education and International Development Research Group at the University of Edinburgh
  • External examiner for the MEd / PgDip Adult Education, Community Development and Youth Work programme at the University of Glasgow
  • Edinburgh Teaching Award (EDTA) mentor
  • Accredited member of the CLD Standards Council for Scotland
  • Trustee for the Community Development Alliance for Scotland
  • Trustee for Survivors of Human Trafficking for Scotland

Undergraduate teaching

Course Tutor: Domains of Practice 1: Engaging with the Literature 

Course Convener: Domains of Practice 3: Critical Analysis 

Course Convener: Community Based Research 1: Understanding the Community

Course Convener: Professional Practice Placement 3

Course Tutor: Applied Policy Analysis

Course Convener: Honours Dissertation Project

Course Convener: Honours Seminar in Social and Educational Theory

Postgraduate teaching

Course Convener: Policy Analysis for Social Justice 

Course Convener: Working with Children and Young People for Social Justice 

Course Convener: Activist Social Research 

Course Tutor: Learning for Democracy

Course Tutor: Community Engagement: Co-constructing knowledge with communities

Course Convener: Organisational Management for Social Justice 

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Areas of interest for supervision

 

I am interested in working with students who wish to pursue doctoral research in the following areas:

 

  • Working with children and young people for social justice
  • Children and young people’s participation in policymaking
  • Youth work and mental health
  • Refugee education / Education in Emergencies

 

I am also very interested in working with doctoral students looking to use indigenous, decolonial, intersectional, feminist or post-structuralist methodologies and methods.

Current PhD students supervised

Ewajesu Okewumi – Children’s Participation in Children's Parliament in West Africa

 

Carla Ergul - Exploring the Impact of Additional Support Needs (ASN) Labels on Children and Young People in Scotland.

Research summary

My research sits at the intersection of youth work, mental health, displacement, community development, and education. I am particularly interested in how systems and services can be reconfigured to better support the wellbeing, learning, and rights of marginalised young people and communities; especially in contexts shaped by inequality, forced migration, or structural neglect.

 

Drawing on my professional background in community development and youth work, I take a participatory, social justice, and cross-sectoral approach to research, working across academic, practitioner, and policy domains. I am committed to generating evidence and impact that is both theoretically rigorous and practically relevant, and driven by the voices and experiences of young people, and displaced and marginalised communities.

Current research interests

I am currently leading and contributing to several research and consultancy projects on: (i) Refugee education and forced migration (ii) Youth work and mental health (iii) Inclusive education and participation. I am also the co-lead of the cross-university Youth Studies Research Group.

Knowledge exchange

A central focus of my research is ensuring that evidence informs meaningful change in practice and policy. I have led or co-led over fifteen research and evaluation projects, many of which have involved direct collaboration with NGOs, governments, and international agencies.

 

Notable examples include:

 

  • Co-authoring policy reports and strategic recommendations for UNHCR, UNICEF, and UNESCO, based on participatory and applied research.
  • Leading participatory fieldwork with refugee teachers and learners to shape national training programmes and international guidance
  • Translating research into training, toolkits, monitoring frameworks, and strategic design for organisations working with young people, refugees, and survivors of trafficking.
  • Supporting knowledge exchange through seminars, public engagement, and collaboration with youth-led, practitioner, and academic networks - including my role as Knowledge Exchange Lead for the Children and Young People's Research Hub (2021-2023).

 

My work contributes to research-informed change in education access, youth mental health policy, and inclusive community development, with a strong emphasis on co-production, participation, and lived experience.

Affiliated research centres

Project activity

Improving Mental Health Services for Young People in Gateshead: Effective Methods for Sharing Information and Best Practices (February 2025-January 2026)

£50,000 Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council

Consultant

 

Access and Equity in Primary and Secondary Education: A Global Systematic Review (February-November 2025)

£62,497 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report

Consultant

 

Evidence Review and Contextual Analysis of Higher Education for Refugees (May 2023-April 2025)

£45 000 Connected Learning in Crisis Consortium (CLCC) / UNHCR Consultancy Grant

Principal Investigator

 

Learning for Democracy: Exploring Populism in Communities

£1000 ESRC Festival of Social Science 2022

Co-Principal Investigator

 

Getting in, fitting in and getting on: investigating the experiences of mature age working class undergraduate students on the MALiC degree programme (January 2023 - present)

£20 000 University of Edinburgh, Principal Teaching Award

Co-investigator

 

Foundations for All Toolkit (March 2021 - April 2023)

£500,000 Mastercard Foundation

Co-investigator

 

Consultancy (July 2020 – August 2020)

£3000 Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK

 

Situational Analysis on Factors Impeding Female Participation in Teacher Training Programs in Refugee Contexts (January – July 2020)

£50 000 UNICEF

Principal Investigator

 

Mental health issues of children and young people (November 2015 - September 2016)

£30,000 Institute for Local Governance.

Co-investigator

 

Evaluation of the Community Organisers Programme in the north east of England (July 2014 - October 2015)

£9,450 Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF); £9,450 Locality

Principal Investigator

 

Building Volunteer Capacity: Exploring the links between volunteering and employability (November 2013 – January 2015)

£4500 Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF); £3000 NHS County Durham & Darlington, UK

Co-investigator

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