Dr. Sofia Malik

Biography

Sofia Malik is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin, where she co-coordinates the Education Policy Planning program. She teaches core courses in Educational Leadership Policy, specializing in preparing current and future school administrators and leaders to use evidence-based approaches. With professional experience that includes classroom teaching, district leadership, and government policy development, Dr. Malik integrates real-world expertise into her teaching. She began her career as a public school teacher and progressed to become the Chief Research Officer for the Peel District School Board, one of North America's largest and most diverse school districts. Her policy expertise was further honed through senior roles at the Ontario Ministry of Education. Dr. Malik contributed to policies impacting 5,000 schools and managed a $35 million well-being education initiative. She has maintained connections as a Researcher-in-Residence at the Ontario Education Services Corporation, working with school administrators on strategic applications of demographic data. Her research interests include program evaluation, knowledge mobilization, and evidence-informed decision-making. Dr. Malik actively engages with scholarly and practitioner communities through publications and presentations at national and international forums. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Toronto, where she also received her Master’s in Leadership, Evaluation, and Curriculum Policy Studies, along with dual Bachelor’s degrees in Teacher Education and Arts.

Research Interests