Hi there!
Lisa Kelly is a student-centred lecturer and early career researcher, specialising in dynamic-diffractive approaches to discourse analysis within education and social contexts. With experience spanning secondary, further, and higher education sectors, she brings a grounded, practice-informed perspective to her academic work. Her teaching portfolio includes critical education studies, academic literacy, discourse analysis, and sociolinguistics, delivered across diverse student cohorts.
Currently a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Chester and formerly a Senior Lecturer in Education Studies at Liverpool John Moores University, Lisa has led and taught on a range of undergraduate modules, including Education and Technology, Education and Identity, and Work Placement. Prior to this, she held various roles at Blackpool and the Fylde College, where she was programme leader for GCSE English and acting programme leader for the BA (Hons) English Language, Literature and Writing.
Lisa’s doctoral research (EdD, pending 2025) explores the discursive construction of 'Quality' in Higher Education, using innovative diffractive methodologies grounded in practitioner-based approaches. Her broader research interests include academic identity, class, and equity in education—topics she has explored through collaborative autoethnographic work and national conference presentations.
She has contributed to both scholarly and professional events, with presentations on student resilience, self-investment, and inclusive pedagogies.
Committed to fostering critical thinking and inclusion, Lisa draws from her background working with non-traditional learners and her strong belief in the transformative power of education.
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The "tired" part is more complicated. In 2016, Lisa's Masters in Language and Linguistics was derailed by constant ill-health which resulted in hospitalisation. She was subsequently diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism caused by an adenoma. This was accompanied by some related issues, which sparked a series of medical treatments. A short successful recovery seemed positive, but during the pandemic and following an aggressive experience of the delta variant, Lisa's health took a nosedive. By 2023 she was struggling to keep up with the chronic pain that made day to day live extremely difficult, but it was only after she changed doctors that she finally received a diagnosis of arthritis and slipped discs in her spine, PCOS, endometriosis, hyper-mobility and fibromyalgia. At this point, Lisa took advice from a various professionals and started very aggressively managing her own health, with great success. Now in 2025, she is able to prioritise what she is passionate about. She loves teaching and researching and is delighted that nothing has prevented her from continuing down this path. If anything, her experiences served as a stark reminder of the need for health literacy, self-advocacy education and continued efforts for social justice.
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