Dr Anna Anthony is Director of HEAT, a national service supporting higher education providers, partnerships and charities to evaluate the impact of their work to address inequalities in access and student success. She leads HEAT’s strategic development, working closely with sector partners to strengthen evaluation practice and the evidence base across higher education. Anna has led the development of HEAT’s five-year strategy, expanded its evaluation tools and training offer, and secured funding for new initiatives. Her work focuses on collaboration, evidence-led evaluation, innovation and ensuring HEAT remains a sustainable, responsive service for the sector.

Matt Dickson is Professor of Economic and Social Policy at the Institute for Policy Research, where he leads the programme of research on widening participation in higher education. He has particular expertise in the economics of education, young people’s transitions to and through higher education, and intergenerational social mobility. Recent projects have examined the role of summer schools in access to higher education, the impact of work-placements on higher education attainment, and the pathways post-16 educational pathways that lead to success or otherwise. Recent co-authored reports for the IPR have examined the impact of the policy to keep young people in education or training to age 18 and the effect of the Opportunity Areas programme, a government initiative focused on communities with low educational attainment and high youth unemployment.

Rianna Elmhirst is an Access and Participation Impact Manager at the University of Bath, with 10 years of experience within the sector. She leads on evaluation and research projects across the student lifecycle (access, continuation/completion, degree awarding, and progression) to inform the Access and Participation Plan, advancing knowledge, impact, and continual improvement. Starting her career in outreach delivery, she is passionate about using a range of evaluative approaches to generate meaningful insights that inform service delivery, strategy, and improve student outcomes.