Dr. Ashton Brown

Biography

Ashton’s research focuses on identifying pathways that lead to positive developmental outcomes in education and mental health. Originally trained in economics, Ashton pursues an interdisciplinary approach that employs quantitative methods to address critical questions using secondary data. He is passionate about teaching robust quantitative methods to the next generation of researchers. From 2018 to 2020, Ashton served as a research associate in a group led by Faculty of Education Lecturer Sonia Ilie, working on programs designed to widen participation in higher education. In that role, he was responsible for conducting literature reviews and performing quantitative analysis on existing projects, assisting with the design and administration of impact evaluations for widening participation programs. His research, which spans a variety of topics concerning the role of childhood experiences and family processes in perpetuating inequality, largely employs existing cohort studies to examine factors that enhance developmental outcomes for children and adolescents. His work also includes projects analyzing the cost-benefit of parenting interventions in the UK, aimed at improving youth mental health and educational outcomes. Ashton teaches several courses within the Faculty of Education and serves as an affiliated lecturer at the Social Sciences Research Methods Programme.

Research Interests

Experience