About me

Tom Fryer

I am a PhD researcher at Manchester Institute of Education at the University of Manchester. I’m interested in how higher education contributes to social justice, and my current research focuses on inequalities in graduate outcomes in the UK. My work covers questions of who gains what from a university education, as well as looking at the impacts of recent policymaking. I have also explored the impact of HE on students’ political attitudes and graduates’ job quality.

As a mixed methods researcher, I have a particular interest in evaluation and research methods, and their underlying philosophical foundations. My work aims to provide accessible accounts in this area, including A Short Guide to Ontology and Epistemology, with a specific focus on critical realism.

I have a variety of professional experience in secondary and higher education, both internationally and in the UK, and currently serve as a Community Governor at Burnage Academy for Boys. I also ran a project called Write on Point between 2015 and 2022, which supported over 1,400 students from under-represented backgrounds with their UCAS personal statements.