Dr Emma-Jane Rawlings Smith CGeog
Employer Name
AQA
Biography
Emma is Lead Researcher at AQA (the leading exam board in England) where she leads research and evaluation projects focused on general qualifications, accessibility and digital assessment. She was previously a geography teacher educator at the universities of Southampton, Oxford and Leicester, leading PGCE Geography and researching 11-18 geography education, teacher education and green skills in the school curriculum. In 2025, Emma was the Rex Walford keynote speaker at the Geographical Association Annual Conference where she also received the 2025 Distinguished Service Award. Before moving into higher education, Emma taught 11-18 school geography in England and the Middle East. Emma is a Convenor of the British Education Research Association’s Curriculum Assessment and Pedagogy SIG, Steering Group member of AEA-Europe’s Holistic Education SIG, member of the Geographical Association Teacher Education Phase Committee and Teaching Geography editorial board member.