Rate My Professor Eirini Gkouskou

Dr Eirini Gkouskou serves as Associate Professor in Early Years and Primary Education within the Education faculty at University College London’s Institute of Education, specifically in the Department of Learning and Leadership. She earned her PhD from the University of Patras, Greece in 2014, along with an MBA in Education Business Administration, an MSc in Natural Science Didactics, and a BSc with Honours in Early Childhood Education. Her career trajectory includes a position as Senior Lecturer in the Early Childhood team at the University of East London from 2015 to 2020, and prior to that, as Research Associate in the Department of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment at UCL Institute of Education. Accumulating over twelve years of experience across academic, practitioner, and managerial roles in formal and non-formal settings such as museums, she holds Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). At UCL, she leads the MA Early Years Education programme and serves as Inclusion Co-Lead in her department.

Dr Gkouskou’s academic interests centre on early childhood education, particularly the integration of STEM through play, science learning in spontaneous preschool activities, and the pedagogical value of natural history museums and dioramas for young learners. Her influential publications include “Science in action in spontaneous preschool play – an essential foundation for future understanding” (2019, Early Child Development and Care), “Natural History Dioramas: An opportunity for children to observe physical Science in action in a moment of time” (2017, Science Education International), “Describing the educational role of natural history museums: An analysis tool for pre-service and in-service teachers” (2021, European Journal of Education Studies), and the book chapter “Exploring the possibilities of STEM and play in preschool years in England” (2022, Play and STEM Education in the Early Years). She contributes editorially as Deputy Editor of the Journal of Education in Museums, is an active member of the Group for Education in Museums, and has convened partnerships with the Bright Start Foundation. Her work extends to projects advancing decolonised curricula and funds of knowledge approaches in education.