Sophie's main role, within the department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing at the University of Northumbria, is to lead the area of Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Within this role she works with the ITE team and liaises closely with programme leaders and the Head of Subject in the strategic planning for the area. Her pedagogy is rooted in a belief that education has the ability to empower (Freire, 1970) and that inclusive practice is fundamental to effective teaching and learning. This philosophy is reflected by her having won the Student Led Teaching Award for Northumbria’s ‘Best lecturer’ with the certifcate noting that 'she always has a positive attitude', 'creates a comfortable talking environment' and 'listens to all students'. In addition, Sophie is a mentor, working to widen access and participation for racially minoritised ethnic students and staff in postgraduate research.
Before joining ֲýƵ as an academic she was a teacher, and leader, in schools within the Gateshead and North Tyneside Local Authorities.
Sophie's research interests are around the Mentoring of Student Teachers, Simulated Learning, Inter-Professional Learning and other areas associated with Social Justice, such as Widening Participation.
- Climate change mitigation and workers’ interests: why framing a Green New Deal as redistributive and security-enhancing is key to popularity, Ardron, K., Stark, G., Meller, S., Reed, H., Johnson, M., Johnson, E. 13 Jan 2026, In: F1000Research
- Constructing Reality: Comparing Simulation Modalities in Initial Teacher Education, Fossey, R., Counihan, C., Nichol, D., Luke, C., Cole, M., Meller, S., Davies, J., Barker, L., Anderson, A., Hudson, K., Gray, W., Mulholland, K. 3 Jun 2026, In: Education Sciences
- Teaching SCPHN Students Complex Decision-Making Through Interprofessional Simulation for Safeguarding, Menzies, J., Meller, S., Robinson, E., Counihan, C., Ogle, J., Clark, E., Dorward, M. 11 Mar 2026, In: Community practitioner : the journal of the Community Practitioners' & Health Visitors' Association
- Back to basics: Pre-service teachers' experiences of ‘SimulatEd’, a suite of low-technology simulated-scenarios to promote preparedness for professional practice, Nichol, D., Mulholland, K., Counihan, C., Meller, S., Anderson, A., Luke, C., Gray, W. 1 Oct 2025, In: Teaching and Teacher Education
- The use of simulation-based learning approaches in initial teacher education and teachers’ professional development – exploring the potential for learning and practice., Davies, J., Meller, S., Luke, C., Anderson, A., Nichol, D., Mulholland, K., Gray, W., Counihan, C. 26 Jun 2025, BERA Global Perspectives in Teacher Education
- What does transformation in Higher Education research culture look like? Evidence from action research within a diverse post-1992 department, Mulholland, K., Robson, I., Nichol, D., Counihan, C., Gray, W., Luke, C., Meller, S., Anderson, A., Heslop, K., Davies, J., Graham, P., Johnson, S., Hwang, S., Chan, W., Johnson, E., Hudson, K., Haighton, C., Littlefair, D., Defeyter, M., Kellehear, A., Atkinson, J., Johnson, M. 26 Nov 2025, In: Routledge Open Research
- How can academics remove barriers for the most excluded? A call for advocacy from lived experience in the UK and Ireland, Efemini, C., Forster, N., Gallagher, M., Hardill, I., Heslop, K., Littlefair, D., Marsden, N., Meller, S., Ó’Tuama, S., Toyne, A., Johnson, M. Nov 2024, In: Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning
- The Knowledge Exchange Framework and Levelling Up: understanding the importance of engagement for students and employers, Heslop, K., Meller, S., Johnson, M. 17 Sep 2024, How to Enable Engagement Between Universities and Business, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar
- Virtual reality check: A realist evaluation protocol for exploring the use of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) to support pre-service teachers’ understanding of approaches to behaviour management, Woodley, H., Mulholland, K., Nichol, D., Counihan, C., Luke, C., Gray, W., Meller, S., Herridge, D., Anderson, A., Ross, J. 1 Feb 2024, In: Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching
- Enhancing Support and Recognition for Teaching Mentors, Meller, S., Allan, J., Elsdon, M., Hayman, R., Mathieson, S. 27 Jun 2023, The North East Universities Consortium Three Rivers Conference
Carl Luke A critical participatory action research study of the use of simulation-based learning as a continuing professional development tool for teachers in their early career phase. Start Date: 01/10/2023
- Education PhD May 20 2021
- Education BA (Hons) with QTS September 01 1992
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy SFHEA
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