Dr Zachery Spire

I am a social researcher with a keen interest in design. Broadly, my work explores the material, social, and inter/intra-personal relations of people to spaces and places within learning environments. 

I completed my PhD in Education, Practice & Society at the UCL Institute of Education (IoE), where my research focused on student residences and student engagement. Prior to IoE, University College London, I studied for my MA in Higher Education Administration from Santa Clara University (California, United States) and my BA in Psychology from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) (California, United States). During my PhD, I served as the UCL IoE Students’ Union Vice-President (Education & Student Experience) and served as a Vice-Warden/Student Resident Assistant for UCL Accommodation. 

Following my doctoral studies, I completed my first post-doctoral research project with Professor Alexi Marmot (UCL bartlett faculty of the built environment, University of Sydney) on student residences and student engagement in global cities (2018-2019). Following my first post-doctoral study, I worked as Head of Research & Training for The Class Foundation (Amsterdam, Netherlands) (2019-2020). I returned to California and worked in Housing at Stanford University (2021-2023). Before returning to England, I was a Research Associate for Oregon State University Extension & Engagement, working on university-public engagement with Dr. Marina Denny.