Dr. Sonia Ilie

Biography

Sonia Ilie is a Professor of Education and Deputy Director of Research at the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on educational inequality, investigating how socio-economic factors shape access to educational outcomes for children and young people. She particularly examines fair access and equitable participation in higher education and the educational experiences that affect these outcomes. Her work is primarily situated within the English education system, as well as in low- and lower-middle-income contexts. Ilie has substantial experience in leading large-scale research projects and evaluating the effectiveness of established interventions designed to improve student learning and narrow socio-economic attainment gaps through experimental and quasi-experimental research designs. She is also a member of the THRiVE research group at the REAL Centre within the Faculty of Education, leading the FairLab research lab dedicated to fair access and success in higher education. Her courses include MPhil Educational Policy Leadership Improvement among others, and she has been involved in guiding prospective doctoral applications. Ilie's publications contribute to understanding how to tackle inequalities in school outcomes and higher education access.

Research Interests

Experience