Management Team
Professor Arthur Chapman, UCL Institute of Education, University of London, United Kingdom
Arthur Chapman has worked in history education for more than 30 years, performing a wide range of roles, including the following:
• history teacher (1993-2005);
• history education doctoral student and researcher (1998 onwards);
• history teacher educator (2005-2015);
• editor of a professional journal, the English Historical Association’s journal for teachers Teaching History (2006, 2007-15 and 2022-25);
• university teacher contributing to (2008-10) and leading an MA in History Education (2013-2023);
• author of history education articles in professional journals (2003 onwards) and peer-reviewed academic journals (2009 onwards);
• history education consultant (since 2011) in Cyprus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, and elsewhere;
• history education doctoral supervisor (2012 onwards) supervising students from England, Cyprus, Turkey, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil and the Netherlands;
• series editor of the International Review of History Education (2012 onwards);
• contributor to and editor of nine history education books;
• visiting scholar in Brazil (2013), Japan (2017), Singapore (2017), Sweden, (2017)
and Poland (2025);
• coordinator of international conferences (on Primo Levi in 2012, for HEIRNET in London in 2015, and for the BAHS in 2016);
• history education doctoral examiner (since 2012) in England, the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, and Zimbabwe;
• contributor to (2016-23) editor and Deputy Director of Public History Weekly
(2021-3);
• founding (2018) and managing editor of HEIRNET’s history education research Journal (HERJ);
• Professor of History Education at University College London (2023 onwards); and
• member (2024) and Vice-Chair (since 2025) of the OHTE’s Scientific Advisory Council.
Dr Caitriona Ní Cassaithe, Dublin City University, Ireland
Dr Caitríona Ní Cassaithe specialises in the teaching and learning of primary history education and regularly contributes to curriculum development, public history and policy discourse at both national and international levels. Her work sits at the intersection of research, pedagogy and public engagement in shaping how the past is understood and taught across both educational and cultural spaces.
Caitriona’s expertise lies in the development of children’s historical thinking and historical enquiry. Her approach to history education also includes heritage and place-based education, controversial issues, outdoor education with a focus on sustainability, and disciplinary literacy. She also has a strong interest in promoting Irish Traveller and Roma history. A committed and innovative educator, her teaching philosophy values transformative learning experiences where she combines disciplinary knowledge, active learning and digital technology with historical enquiry to create real-world relevance for her students (and their students). As a member of DCU’s Centre for Human Rights and Citizenship Education and the Educational Disadvantage Centre, Caitríona’s work speaks to her commitment to inclusion, equality and public good.
In 2024, her first co-edited book (with Dr Benjamin Mallon and Prof Fionnuala Waldron) ‘Pushing the boundaries of human rights education: Concepts, challenges and contexts.’ was published by Routledge. Aimed at educators, researchers and practitioners, this book offers new insights into HRE, particularly in the context of issues relating to children’s rights education and participation. Her co-edited book (with Dr Amy Allen and Dr Anne Marie Kavanagh) ‘Beyond Single Stories: Changing Narratives for a Changing World’
Caitriona’s research interests include: the learning and teaching of history at primary and post-primary level, digital technologies in teaching history, the teaching of controversial / contested issues in history, museum, heritage and place-based education and disciplinary literacy. She is also interested in social justice education, education for sustainable development, intercultural education, human rights education and global citizenship education through a historical lens.
Dr Laura Arias-Ferrer, University of Murcia, Spain
Laura Arias-Ferrer is Senior Lecturer at the University of Murcia (Spain). She holds a MA in Ancient History (University of Murcia) and was awarded her PhD by the University of Alicante in 2008. She is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Education of the University of Murcia and researcher of the research group Laboratorio Temporal (https://late.um.es/). Her research interests are focused on archaeology and object-based learning strategies, the development of thinking skills in early years and primary education, and lately, and after her involvement in the Erasmus+ LETHE project (https://www.letheproject.eu/), the introduction of contested histories and invisible collectives in history lessons.
She is part of the editorial board of different international journals such as Panta Rei (https://revistas.um.es/pantarei) and HTCE (https://eterna.unibas.ch/htce), and member of the advisory board of HERJ (https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/herj/).
Professor Sebastian Barsch, University of Cologne, Germany
Sebastian Barsch is Professor of History Education at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Cologne, where he has taught and conducted research since October 2022. His work focuses on inclusive history education, historical learning and the Anthropocene, disability history, historical learning and material culture, and professional development for history teachers. Previously, he was Professor of History Education at the University of Kiel (2016-2022) and served as Managing Scientific Director of the Centre for Teacher Training at Kiel University (2020-2022) and Managing Director of the Historical Seminar at Kiel (2018-2020). Before his academic career, he worked as a teacher for special needs education (2002-2010) and held various positions at the University of Cologne, including Head of the Teacher Training Team and Deputy Managing Director at the Centre for Teacher Training (2013-2016). He has held leadership roles in the field, including serving as President of the Conference for History Didactics (Konferenz für Geschichtsdidaktik) since September 2024 and co-leading the Working Group on Diversity and Inclusion within the same organization. He is also co-editor of the Science Blog Public Disability History. His current projects include the international conference “History Education, Diversity and Inclusion” (HEDI 2025) and the edited volume “Bridging History and Special Education: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Historical Thinking and Disabilities,” both of which investigate the intersections of inclusive education and historical learning. Against the backdrop of increasing social polarization, he also addresses the question of the extent to which historical thinking and learning can contribute to peaceful and democratic coexistence in society.
Dr Tim Huijgen, University of Groninge, Netherlands
Tim Huijgen is a Senior Assistant Professor of History Education at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. With his wife and three children, he lives in the northern Netherlands. He earned two master’s degrees, one in History and another in History & Civics Education (with honours), before teaching history in secondary schools. This experience continues to inform his academic work, ensuring it remains grounded in classroom realities.
In 2018, he completed his PhD on historical contextualisation, funded by the Dutch Scientific Council, while simultaneously working as a history teacher and teacher educator. His research now focuses on historical reasoning, perspective taking, citizenship education, and the integration of new technologies. He publishes internationally and collaborates on several European projects, always aiming to bridge academic research with educational practice.
At the University of Groningen, he chairs the Social Studies department and serves as a Fellow of the Interuniversity Center for Educational Research. He is a board member of the Royal Netherlands Historical Society, a jury member for the Dutch History Teacher of the Year award, and has served on the board of the War and Resistance Center Groningen.
Dr Lukas Perikleous, Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, Cyprus
Lukas Perikleous is an education officer at the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, where he is involved in teachers’ professional development programs and leads work on the Primary History Curriculum. He has more than two decades of experience as a teacher, teacher trainer, researcher, educational materials author, and curriculum developer.
My research interests include children’s and adults’ ideas of historical empathy, teachers’ professional development, the teaching of controversial issues in history, the role of popular culture and ICT in history education, the political aspects of history education, and the philosophy of history.
Alongside his post at the Pedagogical Institute, he has been teaching history education and social studies at the University of Cyprus since 2012. His publications include the volume The Future of the Past: Why History Education Matters (2011; co-edited with Denis Shemilt), as well as journal articles and book chapters on historical empathy, identity, the aims and purposes of history education, and controversial issues in history teaching. He has also authored educational materials for history teaching used in Cyprus, and he is a member of the advisory board of the History Education Research Journal (UCL Press).
Professor Heather Sharp, University of Newcastle, Australia
Dr Heather Sharp is a professor in curriculum in the School of Education at the University of Newcastle, Australia, specialising in history, curriculum, and citizenship education. Heather’s research centres on historical representations, particularly concerned with school curriculum and public history. Her research delves into how history is presented in school curricula and textbooks, exploring how these narratives shape students’ understanding of identity and citizenship. Heather’s work has a strong focus on fostering meaningful connections between history education and contemporary societal issues including democracy, ensuring students are equipped to navigate a rapidly changing world. She leads a study tour for university students along the former World War I conflict sites in France and Belgium to analyse the public discourses around commemoration with a focus on peace and reconciliation. Heather is currently working on a network project funded by the Swedish Research Council that investigates intersections of historical and democratic consciousness. Heather is a founding member of the HERMES (Historical Experience, Representation, Media, Education and Society) research group at the University of Newcastle and editor of its journal, Historical Encounters. She is also on the Editorial Board of the History Education Research Journal.
Dr Carmen Gloria Zúñiga
Carmen Gloria Zúñiga is an Assistant Professor at the School of Education, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where she has worked since 2017. She completed her Doctorate in Education at the University of Western Australia, examining the evolution of the secondary school history curriculum in Chile. The limited Chilean and Latin American research on history and social sciences teaching at the primary level encouraged her to redirect her focus to this educational stage, where the foundations of citizenship are established.
Her research interests include citizenship education, historical thinking, and classroom assessment. She is particularly concerned with how curriculum and pedagogy can nurture democratic participation and social cohesion. Currently, she leads a project funded by the Chilean National Agency for Research and Development (2024–2026) that investigates ideologies and practices of citizenship education in primary schools by analysing what teachers, headteachers, and pupils express and do in classroom contexts. Early findings reveal a predominance of conservative ideologies among primary teachers across subjects. She also coordinates the student participation strand of a school leadership project supported by the Chilean Ministry of Education (2025–2028).
Teaching is central to her academic work. She delivers courses on the teaching and learning of History and Citizenship Education within the Primary Teacher Education Programme, and since 2017 she has coordinated the specialisation pathway in social sciences pedagogy for primary education.
Her publications demonstrate a commitment to connecting research with classroom realities. Her recent work has addressed critical scientific literacy for sustainable citizenship, the development of assessment tools for social thinking, and evaluation competencies in history and citizenship education. She is particularly interested in bridging the gap between policy aspirations and classroom practices, as shown in studies of Chile’s Citizenship Education Plan and the pedagogical practices of teachers recognised for their excellence in this field. Throughout her career, she has sought to combine rigorous empirical research with the preparation of future teachers. Her goal is to contribute to strengthening history and citizenship education in Chile, while also building dialogue and collaboration with colleagues internationally.
