Fernando Carvallo Arrau
Thesis title: Higher Education and Social Structure - Consequences of HE Massification and Neoliberal Policies in Chile
Education PhD
Year of study: 2
- Advanced Quantitative Research in Education Hub
- Centre for Research in Digital Education
Contact details
Background
I am a PhD researcher in Education at the Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh. My research interests lie at the intersection of education, sociology of education, social stratification, and public policy.
My PhD examines the relationship between higher education expansion, public policies, and changes in Chile's social class structure. Specifically, it explores how policymakers have conceptualised and promoted the expansion of higher education, how patterns of participation and institutional differentiation have evolved across social groups, and how these transformations relate to broader changes in social class composition. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative methods, my research seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between higher education expansion, educational inequalities, and social stratification.
Before beginning my PhD, I spent nearly a decade working as a lawyer and social researcher across the Chilean Parliament, the Ministries of Education and Social Development, NGOs, and academia. My professional experience has involved contributing to the development and implementation of public policies, particularly in education and social policy, as well as participating in research and policy debates surrounding higher education reforms in Chile. These experiences have strengthened my commitment to bridging academic research and policymaking through rigorous, evidence-based analysis.
My PhD research is funded by the College Research Award 2025, awarded by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh.
CV
159544.pdf
Undergraduate teaching
- Tutor for the LEAPS Transition course at the LEAPS (Lothians Equal Access Programme for Schools), University of Edinburgh
- Tutor for the Analysing Social Networks with Statistics course at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh
Postgraduate teaching
- Tutor for the Core qualitative data analysis course at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh
Research summary
My research interests lie at the intersection of education, sociology of education, social stratification, and the political economy of higher education. I am particularly interested in how educational expansion and institutional differentiation shape patterns of social inequality, mobility, and class formation. My research draws on quantitative and mixed methods approaches, with a particular focus on higher education systems and social transformations in Latin America.