Who we are
OxEd and Assessment (OxEd) is a University of Oxford spinout company launched to take the research of Professor Charles Hulme and his team through to practical application in schools.
We create educational assessment apps and interventions which improve educational outcomes for children. Developed by the same research team responsible for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) program.
The founders
Charles Hulme
Founder and CEO, OxEd and AssessmentCharles is Emeritus Professor of Psychology in Education, University of Oxford and Professor of Psychology, Oxford Brookes University. Formerly Professor of Psychology and Education in the Department of Education and William Golding Senior Research Fellow at Brasenose College, University of Oxford.
Charles is an expert on reading, language and memory processes and their development (see publication list). He has developed a number of effective language and reading interventions. Charles is a Fellow of the British Academy, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and Fellow of Academia Europaea. He has received numerous awards for his research including the Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (2019) and ranked one of the top psychology scientists in the world (2023).
Maggie Snowling
Founding Director of OxEd and AssessmentMaggie is Professor Emerita of Psychology, University of Oxford. Formerly President of St. John’s College, Oxford where she continues as a Research Fellow. She is also an Honorary Fellow of the British Psychological Society, a Fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Maggie is a world-renowned expert on children’s reading and language difficulties (see publication list). She served as a member of Sir Jim Rose’s Expert Advisory Group on provision for Dyslexia in 2009. Maggie is a Fellow of the British Academy and Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. In 2024 she was ranked the lifetime #1 scholar for dyslexia. Maggie was also named the top ranked scholar for language development in 2024 and one of the top psychology scientists in the world in 2023. Maggie was appointed CBE for services to science and the understanding of dyslexia in 2016.
Gillian West
Director of OxEd and AssessmentLecturer in Language Sciences: Development and Disorders at University College London (UCL).
Gillian was a researcher and lecturer at the Department of Education, University of Oxford until Spring 2023. Her research focusses on language and interventions for children of different ages and the development of language assessments. She is currently working on the development and evaluation of an early language enrichment programme for children in nursery schools. She completed her PhD at UCL, investigating the relationship between memory processes and children's reading and language skills.
The OxEd team
George Ulmann
Managing DirectorGeorge's experience working in education spans from running a tutoring agency to being a school governor. As a strategy consultant, he has worked across the public sector and with education providers. In his last role at MedShr, George was COO and part of the founding team, building a medical education platform to 2M members and leading international expansion to >130 markets.
Andrew Mendoza
Board AdvisorAndrew is an experienced adviser to founders, management teams and investors to companies in the digital media and technology space. Over the last few years Andrew has worked with a number of innovative edtech businesses, focused on language and literacy.
Derek Devine
Global Partnerships DirectorDerek has over ten years experience driving growth in the international EdTech sector. He has proven expertise leading successful go-to market initiatives in diverse cultures and regions and is committed to empowering educators and learners worldwide through innovative EdTech solutions.
Joe Lowe
Chief Operating OfficerJoe has over 2 decades' worth of experience managing multi-scale projects for commercial, domestic and public-sector IT service and support across the UK and beyond. He specialises in data-management, security and compliance, networks and digital infrastructure.
Harley Richardson
Chief Product OfficerHarley has worked for over 20 years in international digital education publishing, developing award-winning primary and secondary school services for companies including Espresso and Discovery Education, with a focus on user experience. He writes regularly on the history of education.
Hazel Carter
Marketing DirectorHazel is an experienced marketing professional who has worked in EdTech and education-focused companies in the UK, US and Internationally. She is a CIM-qualified marketer with a BA (Hons) in Education and a MA in Marketing Management.
Sarah Hearne
Research Officer and Project ManagerSarah holds an MSc in Social Cognition and a BSc (Hons) in Psychology. At the University of Oxford she worked on research into the effectiveness of the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) using LanguageScreen, and also supported the rollout of NELI to thousands of schools across England.
Mariela Rios Diaz
Research Officer and Project ManagerMariela holds an MSc in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and a BA in Psychology. She has worked as a teacher and TA for over a decade and in educational research for over 5 years, in Mexico and the UK. At the University of Oxford, she investigated the long-term impact of NELI and the efficacy of NELI Preschool. She is also a school governor at a local school.
Arron Margeison
Customer Success ManagerArron has over 15 years of experience in education, where he has built award-winning support teams for primary and secondary school services at companies like Espresso and Discovery Education. With a focus on delivering best-in-class, gold-standard support, he is passionate about ensuring educators get exactly what they need, allowing them to dedicate their time to their students.
Anika Erceg
Software EngineerAnika is a software engineer with a passion for learning different things across a broad range of topics - from traditional log building practices to piano, across best front end and UX/UI practices to offensive cybersecurity. Anika's focus will be on building our assessment apps and supporting us with her technical talent and expertise in the expansion of our products and services into new markets.
Blansh Al-Awkabi
Junior Research OfficerBlansh is a qualified early years educator with a MSc in Education (Child Development and Education) from the University of Oxford. She works as part of the NELI Preschool and Marketing team at OxEd.
Fiona Silley (née Duff)
Research and Development OfficerFiona completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of York. She subsequently worked as a Research Fellow at the University of York, and as a Research Associate at the University of Oxford. Fiona’s research has focused on reading development, disorders and interventions – with a particular interest in the role of oral language in learning to read.
Fiona Undrill
Research Officer and Project ManagerFiona originally trained as a primary school teacher. She holds an MA in Children’s Literature, and professional qualifications to assess and tutor children with dyslexia. For most of her career, Fiona has worked in educational publishing, developing primary literacy resources for schools.
Francina Clayton
Research Officer and Project ManagerFrancina completed her PhD in Developmental Science at University College London (UCL). Following this, Francina worked as a Research Associate at both UCL and the University of York where her research focused on predictors of early literacy and numeracy. Francina also has extensive experience building university-wide learning communities and leading projects aimed at creating inclusive and supportive environments for researchers.
Ina Skronska
Support Team OperatorIna has a degree in Speech and Language Therapy and Applied Linguistics with Audiology from the Marie Curie-Sklodowska University and has experience providing Speech Therapy directly to children along with extensive service and support experience.
James West
Finance ManagerJames is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW). James has 30 years of post-qualification experience working in Finance Director and Financial Controller roles within a range of corporate and commercial environments.
Kate Humphreys
Research OfficerKate holds an MSc in Neuroscience and Education from the University of Bristol. She completed her PGCE over 20 years ago and has worked in the UK education sector ever since. She’s been a preschool practitioner, class teacher, dyslexia tutor/assessor, SENCo and university lecturer. She is passionate about the importance of early years education.
Kevin Price
Support Team OperatorKevin has a BA in Journalism and Media from Coventry University. He has more than ten years’ experience in consumer service with a specialist focus in complaints handling, conflict resolution and adjudication.
Dr Mihaela Duta
Research and DataMihaela is a Research Associate & Senior Research Software Engineer at the University of Oxford. Her software development focuses on translational research. She also conducts research in neural network models of language-mediated attention (see full profile).
Nazia Rahman
Marketing and Customer Communications CoordinatorNazia holds an MSc in Digital Marketing from the University of Surrey. She is passionate about marketing and as part of the marketing team at OxEd, she is responsible for a wide range of marketing activities including customer communications, and developing and expanding the company's social media and digital presence.
Samina Yasmin
International Business Development ManagerSamina has over 17 years of experience in education, including roles as an International Consultant and Head of Year at an international school in the UAE. She possesses a deep understanding of young learners' unique needs and is committed to creating nurturing environments for their growth. Samina focuses on empowering educators globally by expanding the reach of our solutions to international schools.