My research is broadly within the sociology of education, but I have strongly interdisciplinary interests. A unifying theme in my research is understanding the causes and consequences of educational inequalities. There are three interconnected strands to my scholarship.

Firstly, I am pioneering research into the rise of food charity in schools. Against a backdrop of growing food insecurity in the UK, a growing number of schools are running their own food banks. I study how and why this is happening and what it tells us about education, inequality and the state (see Baker 2023; Baker and Bakopoulou 2022 and 2023). My research in this area has been covered by the BBC, The Independent and many of major news sources.

Secondly, along with Dr. Katherin Barg, I have developed a program of research that explores the interconnections between parenting, socio-economic background, and educational inequalities. We are also interested in exploring how family life and parenting has changed over time and differs between countries and cultures (see Barg and Baker 2021; Baker and Barg 2019). Finally, I have published widely on how young people develop educational aspirations, career goals and orient themselves to the future (see Moles et al. 2023; Baker 2020). I’m particularly interested in how these are connected to moral attitudes and values.

Methodologically, I draw on both qualitative and quantitative sources of data, including sources of secondary data such asthe Millennium Cohort Study. I make extensive use of interviews in much of my empirical work. I welcome applicants from prospective PhD students with shared interests.