Zain Ul Abidin is a mixed-methods researcher and research strategy professional working across research information, funding, evaluation and culture. He brings over a decade of experience in higher education, international development and policy. His work connects data, people and institutional decisions, with a focus on improving research systems, informing responsible assessment and understanding how organisations distribute opportunity, leadership and recognition.

He is Co-Lead and Co-Investigator of CIRCLE: Co-creating Inclusive Research Culture and Leadership Environments, a partnership between the University of Glasgow and the University of the Punjab, Pakistan. Through CIRCLE, he explores how universities can build equitable international partnerships and co-create culture change that reflects local priorities. The project asks whose knowledge shapes institutional decisions, whose contributions gain recognition, and how internationalisation can support mutual learning. It brings Global South perspectives into research culture discussions, challenging assumptions about where expertise sits and how it travels.

Zain Ul Abidin joined the InFrame team in 2024 as a Community Knowledge Analyst within the £3 million Wellcome-funded partnership between Glasgow, Edinburgh and St Andrews. He leads development of the Collegial Research Leadership Framework, translating programme evidence into practical guidance on leadership through collaboration, care and shared responsibility. His work on then the Culture Catalyst Fund spans inclusive funding design, applicant support, governance and evaluation. He also leads analytical and learning elements of People Make Research examining often-unseen contributions and relationships, and contributes to the Community Knowledge Hub to connect learning across projects and institutions.

His approach combines Social Network Analysis, mixed-methods evaluation, longitudinal analysis and Theory of Change. He draws on institutional, survey, programme and network data to understand participation, funding journeys and support structures, turning complex findings into practical changes in policy and delivery.

Zain first joined the University of Glasgow in 2022 through the Erasmus Mundus GLOBED programme in Education Policies for Global Development. He subsequently supported Research and Innovation Services with a large-scale Equality, Diversity and Inclusion analysis of research funding, contributing to the University’s Equality Impact Assessment and sector benchmarking.

Previously, he led education and policy programmes across South Asia, focusing on out-of-school children, foundational learning and public education reform. His experience includes working collaboratievly with FCDO, UNESCO, Malala Fund, UNICEF and the British Council. One programme received recognition among HundrED’s Top 100 Global Education Innovations in 2022. He is a member of Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA) Conference Working Group and contributes to wider discussions on research management, culture and researcher development through Wellcome communities, SRHE, ECER, SERA and the International Research Culture Conference.

Zain’s research interests connect research systems, institutional strategy and education reform. He examines how universities and public institutions use evidence, distribute resources and recognise contributions, and how these choices shape opportunity, collaboration and lasting change.

His key interests include:

• Research information and institutional strategy: How connected data, information governance and meaningful indicators can strengthen planning, reporting and responsible research assessment, while reducing fragmentation and administrative burden.

• Research culture, leadership and funding: How funding, review and recognition practices shape participation, and how institutions can support collegial leadership across roles, disciplines and career stages.

• Equitable partnerships and internationalisation: How power, resources and knowledge shape international collaboration, and how universities can co-create culture change through mutual learning, local ownership and Global South perspectives.

• Networks, collaboration and recognition: How relationships sustain research communities, with particular attention to informal leadership, hidden contributions, access to support and barriers to collaboration.

• Education reform and policy implementation: How evidence, financing and governance influence access, learning and the delivery of reform, particularly in settings with limited resources and institutional capacity.

• Evaluation and institutional learning: How proportionate, equity-sensitive evaluation can guide funding decisions, test assumptions and help organisations learn and adapt.

These interests draw on more than a decade of applied work across higher education and international development. His methods include mixed-methods research, Social Network Analysis, impact evaluation and longitudinal analysis, with a consistent focus on turning evidence into practical institutional and policy decisions.

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Prior publications