I am Dr Xin Xu, a Senior Departmental Lecturer in Higher and Tertiary Education at the University of Oxford, Deputy Director of the Centre on Skills, Knowledge, and Organisational Performance (SKOPE), and an Ordinary Fellow of Kellogg College.

My research explores the changing roles of tertiary education and research, and how they interact with wider social, cultural, political, economic and technological changes. I draw on critical, comparative, and cross-cultural perspectives, with extensive empirical research on China and the UK and their connections with the wider world. Across my work, I am committed to equity, diversity, and justice. My research has been funded by the ESRC, Research England, the Sutton Trust, SRHE, BAICE, and the University of Oxford, among others.

In particular, my work focuses on three interconnected areas:

• Tertiary education policy and practice, including higher education, skills, and lifelong learning
• Research on Research, including research cultures, assessment, professionals, and ecosystems
• International and global dynamics of higher education, including internationalisation, academic mobility, global knowledge systems, and geopolitics

I also value contributing to and building communities through editorial work, collaboration, and wider academic service. My co-edited books include the Handbook of Meta-Research (with Alis Oancea, Gemma Derrick and Nuzha Nuseibeh; Edward Elgar, 2024) and Changing Higher Education in East Asia (with Simon Marginson; Bloomsbury, 2022), which received an Honourable Mention in the 2024 CIES Higher Education SIG Best Book Award. I am a Coordinating Editor of Higher Education and a Book Series Editor for Palgrave Studies on Chinese Education in a Global Perspective.

My research has generated wider public and policy impact. Research and commentaries have appeared in Nature, Times Higher Education, The Conversation, HEPI Blog, and University World News. I have also contributed research evidence and expertise to policymaking and public debate in the UK and internationally.

At the Department of Education, I lead the MSc in Education (Higher Education) pathway, convene the core module Global Higher Education, and supervise DPhil and MSc dissertations. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), and have co-led the development of the Neurodivergent Education for Students, Teaching & Learning (NESTL) Toolkit, a practical resource for supporting neurodivergent-inclusive teaching and learning. The project was Highly Commended in the University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor's Awards 2026.

I received my DPhil in Education from the University of Oxford and have studied at Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Heidelberg University.