Gareth is an Emeritus Professor at WISERD and in the Cardiff School of Social Sciences. He was Director of WISERD from 2010 until 2013.

He has carried out research in areas including: the social impacts of higher education; lifelong learning and the Learning Society; vocational education and training and economic development; the effects of UK devolution on education policy; and research-capacity building in the social sciences.

Gareth’s current research projects at WISERD explore: the impacts of changes in higher education on participation in civil society; widening access to higher education; and localities, participation in higher education and social and spatial mobilities.

Gareth is a Fellow of the UK Academy of Social Sciences and a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.