Francisco Azpitarte

Fran is a Senior Lecturer and the Undergraduate Program Lead for Criminology, Sociology, and Social Policy Programs at Loughborough University. Prior to joining Loughborough University, Fran held the Ronald Henderson Fellow position at the University of Melbourne and the Brotherhood of St Laurence between 2011 and 2018. Fran's research aims to improve our understanding of children's development and inequalities with a focus on vulnerable children and the role of socioeconomic environments and policies in influencing children's life opportunities and outcomes. He holds a PhD in Economics and his works sits at the intersection of quantitative social policy and educational equity with the motivation of producing policy relevant evidence and insights to inform the design and implementation of policies to improve the life chances and outcomes of vulnerable children.

Fran has ample experience in leading multidisciplinary research projects and co-producing research with non-academic institutions including government departments and community organisation. His research has been published in leading journals from a range of disciplines including economics, education, and geography and his work has been funded by leading funding institutions including the Economic and Social Research Council, the Australian Research Council, and the National Health and Medical Research Council among others.