About Us
Helping students and teachers to realise their potential
Our leadership and teams
Sarah Young
Director of Assessment Research and Innovation Delivery
Sarah leads on the implementation and operationalisation of AQA’s assessment research and innovation strategy. She oversees the delivery of a range of projects and research-led initiatives to develop, prototype and test new assessment approaches, especially using digital methods. Sarah also provides strategic leadership to the teams within Assessment Research and Innovation.
Sarah has held previous senior management posts at AQA, including Director of Regulation and Head of Operations.
Sarah has undertaken a number of external voluntary roles, including acting as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the National Examination Board for Dental Nurses (NEBDN) between 2020 and 2022. She is currently an advisor for the NEBDN Board, providing guidance on regulatory and governance matters.
Dr Katy Finch
Head of Research and Evaluation
Katy leads a team that researches and evaluates new and existing assessments, supports the development of digital products and ensures assessments are fair and inclusive.
Katy has a PhD in Psychology from the University of Manchester, where she focused on language processing in multilingual students and the impact on pedagogical practice. She also has an MRes in Research Methods and a PGCE in Literacy and ESOL. Since joining AQA, she has developed expertise in the accessibility of assessment and currently chairs the AEA-Europe Inclusive Assessment SIG.
Will Pointer
Head of Standards and Innovation
Will oversees teams specialising in awarding, data science and psychometrics, with a focus on driving innovation in assessment and supporting assessment quality.
Will joined AQA in 2010, initially as a qualification developer in the GCSE Science team, and later as a senior researcher focusing on quality of marking and standards. He has a Masters in Mathematics from the University of Bath.
Louisa Fyans
Head of Data Analytics, Insight and Reporting
Louisa leads a team focused on analysing and reporting assessment data and developing insights to help shape AQA’s data strategy.
Louisa joined AQA in 2012 and was Head of Exams Integrity and Inspection for six years. She has a Masters in Translation from the University of Manchester.
Cesare Aloisi
Head of AI for Assessment Innovation
Cesare is leading work on how AI could improve assessment for teachers and learners – from question authoring to quality assurance of marking to formative use of AI in the classroom.
Cesare joined AQA in 2017 and was Head of Research and Development for four years, focusing in particular on statistical modelling and quantitative research. He has a PhD in Education from the University of Durham and an MA in Educational Assessment from University College London. Cesare is a former language teacher.
AQA Research Committee
The Research Committee plays an important role in providing feedback and guidance on some of our key research activities.
We work together with world-leading experts in educational assessment from across the UK and Europe. This helps us to develop our strategic direction and identify topical and emerging research questions.
Dr Ayesha Ahmed
Chair of Research Committee
Ayesha is an Associate Teaching Professor in Educational Assessment at the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education.
Contact our team
Email: research@aqa.org.uk
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