Clair Zawada is an Associate Professor and member of the leadership team within the Department of Health & Social Care professions.
Originally trained as a therapeutic radiographer, Clair has extensive experience in health professions education, academic leadership, research supervision and educational development.
Clair's research interests focus on student belonging, mattering and engagement in higher education, particularly within health professions education and clinical placement environments. Her work explores the experiences of students and the factors that influence their sense of belonging, engagement and success.
Throughout her academic career, Clair has held a range of leadership roles, including course leadership, Head of the Academic Development Department and Academic Lead for Teaching Excellence and Student Experience.
Clair’s current responsibilities include leading Foundation Year provision, the Doctoral PGCert, School lead for Academic Personal Tutoring, Athena Swan and contributing to research ethics and governance.
Clair supervises research students at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level, and supports the development of research skills and methodological understanding. She has a particular interest in research that explores student experiences, educational practice and the development of inclusive and supportive learning environments.
- Leading HELS Interprofessional Learning projects
- Embedding PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) into provision
- Student belonging and mattering in higher education
- Student engagement, experience and progression
- Health professions education
- Clinical placement learning and student experiences
- Personal academic tutoring and student support
- Peer mentoring and peer-assisted learning
- Interprofessional education
- Research ethics and governance
- Postgraduate research supervision
- Teaching, learning and assessment in higher education
- Academic leadership and educational development
- BSc (Hons) Radiography (Therapy)
- PGCert Research Practice
- PGDip Radiotherapy and Oncology
- PGDip Transforming Business
- MA Education
- Professional Doctorate in Education
- Partner for the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), monitoring and approving education programmes for HCPC regulated professions.
- Member of the community engagement team for United Kingdom Advising & Tutoring (UKAT) association, a professional body of practitioners and researchers interested in all aspects of advising and tutoring in FE and HE in the UK.
- Treasurer for Association of Radiography Educators (ARE), who promote excellence in radiography practice and patient care through education, innovation and research.
- Member of the Society and College of Radiographers
- Foundation Certificate in Health Sciences
- BSc (Hons) Therapeutic Radiography
- BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography
- Masters by Research in Health and Life Sciences
- Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice
- Professional Doctorate in Health Practice
- Professional Doctorate in Education
- Belonging and Mattering
- Personal Academic Tutoring
- Experts by Experience in Healthcare
Zawada, C. (2026) Why feeling seen matters: Embedding mattering in the personal tutor relationship: UKAT Annual Conference 2026 Student Futures. Manchester Metropolitan University, 13-14th April 2026. Available at: UKAT - Higher education academic advising and personal tutoring | UKAT Annual Conference 2026
Zawada, C. (2025) Quantifying Belonging and Mattering: The Experience of Allied Health Undergraduate Students in University and on Clinical Placement. EdD Thesis. Birmingham City University
Zawada, C. (2024) “Student drop out and feelings of belonging and mattering in UK undergraduate allied health students,” Journal of learning development in higher education, (31). https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi31.1172.
