Meet the team behind Oxford Global Courses
Our team
Our team
Meet the team behind Oxford Global Courses
Our Directors
Managing Director
Arif Struthers graduated top of his cohort in History from the University of Oxford, receiving the rare Congratulatory First-Class degree classification alongside multiple academic prizes. Oxford awards a Congratulatory First only in exceptional cases. The New York Times described it as “a highly unusual honor in which the examining professors ask no questions about the candidate’s written work but simply stand and applaud.” Arif’s academic record is matched by a serious commitment to teaching. He has led Oxford summer programmes, spoken on national television on the importance of education and global trade, and supported students applying to leading UK and international universities. His work ranges from interview preparation and subject enrichment to the steady development of the intellectual and soft skills that competitive admissions processes tend to reward.
Ahmad Nawaz BEM
Managing Director
Ahmad Nawaz is a distinguished graduate of the University of Oxford, where he read Philosophy and Theology. His life story of resilience and leadership has made him a prominent advocate for education and youth empowerment. He has addressed the United Nations and the UK Parliament, and has spoken at international forums alongside presidents, prime ministers, and leading public figures. In recognition of his work, Ahmad has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) by King Charles III, the Diana Legacy Award, and an Honorary Doctorate (Hon. D.Litt) from Coventry University, among other honours. At Oxford Global Courses, Ahmad leads programme delivery in full, drawing on prior experience as Head of International Partnerships at one of Oxford’s leading summer schools.
Our Directors
Our Operational Team
Dr. Ann Childs
Senior Academic Advisor
Dr. Ann Childs is a Professor of Education at the University of Oxford. After completing a PhD in chemistry, she spent 11 years teaching science in secondary schools in the UK and West Africa, before joining Oxford in 1995. She has played a leading role in the Department’s Masters-level teacher education, and internationally co-developed an MSc for teacher educators in Pakistan supported by the Malala Fund. She has co-edited Classroom-based interventions across subject areas: Research to understand what works in education and co-authored national curricula, including chemistry textbooks for Kenya. She serves as Oxford Global Courses’ Senior Academic Advisor, designing and reviewing the academic curriculum. She ensures alignment with Oxford teaching standards, oversees suitability across age groups and nationalities, and evaluates tutors and lesson plans.
Sebastian Bird
Head of Partnerships
Sebastian Bird graduated from Oxford with a First in Classics, achieving the highest mark in his cohort in both Philosophy and Ancient History. After completing a master’s degree at Cambridge, he returned to Oxford, where he is now pursuing a PhD as a Clarendon Scholar. He has taught on summer programmes around the world and is known for combining intellectual seriousness with an approachable teaching style. At Oxford Global Courses, Sebastian leads the management of our international partners, working closely with schools and organisations to plan and deliver global programmes smoothly. He oversees partner communications and coordination, ensuring that arrangements on the ground are clear, professional, and aligned with the standards families and institutions expect.
Michael Garanin
Operations Manager
Michael Garanin graduated from Cambridge with a degree in Biological Natural Sciences. He has extensive experience delivering Cambridge-based educational programmes, including summer schools for international students, and has supported applicants preparing for competitive admissions, including successful applications to Cambridge. He also mentors incoming Cambridge undergraduates from underprivileged and international backgrounds. At Oxford Global Courses, Michael supports the smooth operation of our programmes, coordinating logistics and delivery with partner universities and local stakeholders to ensure that teaching and student experience are executed to a consistently high standard.
June Jiang
Welfare Officer
June Jiang graduated from Oxford in with a degree in Philosophy and Theology. She has extensive experience teaching and tutoring students worldwide receive offers from top universities and schools, including Oxford and Cambridge. She has experience overseeing the teaching and guardianship of Oxford educational programmes and is the programme’s designated safeguarding lead and welfare officer.
Viraansh Bhanushali
Partnerships Manager
Viraansh Bhanushali is a fourth-year Law student at St Peter’s College, Oxford. Alongside his studies, he has worked with senior teams across government in both the UK and India, including roles requiring security clearance. His experience ranges from student debate at the Oxford Union to the practical realities of policymaking and public service in Westminster. He has worked at the UK Government Digital Service, including a secondment supporting its international work, and has also worked with the Solicitor General of India. These roles have given him a clear view of how institutions operate under pressure, and what effective leadership and judgement look like in practice. At Oxford Global Courses, Viraansh serves as a Partnerships Manager, helping to build and manage relationships with schools and organisations, with a particular focus on South Asia.
Rosalie Chapman
Partnerships Manager
Rosalie Chapman graduated from the University of Oxford with a First-Class degree in Human Sciences. She ranked top of her year in over half of her papers. She has also served as Treasurer of the Oxford Union and as Vice-President of the Oxford Student Union, representing students and contributing to academic initiatives across the University. At Oxford Global Courses, Rosalie is a Partnerships Manager, with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa region.
Cleo Turner-Johnson
Partnerships Manager
Cleo Turner-Johnson read Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. Her dissertation examined the educational attainment gap between socioeconomic groups in UK schools, focusing on ability grouping and learned helplessness, and she worked with Oxford academics on a funded research project on pupillometry and time perception. She has taught Psychology at the Oxford Online School and served as Women’s Officer at the Oxford Union, coordinating senior diaries, liaising with speakers and agents, and delivering large-scale events. At Oxford Global Courses, Cleo manages partnerships, with a particular focus on the Middle East, working closely with schools and organisations to deliver well-planned, well-supported programmes.
Mariia Shmonina
Partnerships Manager
Mariia Shmonina graduated from Oxford University with an MPhil in Modern Languages. In the course of her undergraduate degree, she studied in Russia and France. An accomplished educator with a strong background in international teaching and a holder of numerous prestigious European and American grants, one of the top Russian scholars of her year, Mariia shares her expertise on higher education abroad. At Oxford Global Courses, Mariia manages partnerships.
Manseeb Malek-Sikder
Partnerships Manager
Manseeb Malek-Sikder is an alumnus of the University of Oxford with a degree of Master of Science in Urban Development. He received undergraduate degrees from UCL and King’s College London, held a position at the Oxford Union and the European Commission. At Oxford Global Courses, he manages partnerships, with a focus on Bangladesh.
Our Academic Team
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Frank Griffel is Professor of the Study of Abrahamic Religions at Oxford University. Griffel is also the Louis M. Rabinowitz Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Yale University. He has published widely in the fields of Islamic philosophy and theology as well as Muslim intellectual history. After working on apostasy in Islam and on the leading theologian and philosopher al-Ghazālī (d. 1111), Griffel turned his interest toward the history of philosophy in Islam and Judaism, particularly during Islam’s post-classical period after the 11th century. He publishes in English and in German and his books have been translated into Turkish and Arabic. At Oxford Global Courses, he delivers seminars on Oxford's admissions process for postgraduate entry.
Wolfson College, Oxford
Dr. Marc Ventresca is a Professor of Strategic Management at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. His work focuses on the commercialisation of Low Earth Orbit space, innovation strategy and ecosystems, the economic sociology of emerging markets among others. Prior to Oxford, he completed his PhD in Stanford University. At Oxford Global Courses, he contributes to lecturing on business management and finance.
Somerville College, Oxford
Dr. Kate Roll is an Associate Professor at UCL and a former Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. Her teaching career began at Oxford, where she lectured in Empirical Politics at Somerville College and in General Management at Lady Margaret Hall, drawing on the university’s distinctive tutorial method. Kate’s writing on teaching has appeared in The Guardian and Times Higher Education, and she was nominated for Oxford’s Most Outstanding Lecturer award in 2018 as well as the UCL Student Choice Awards. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. At Oxford Global Courses, she delivers seminars on UK university applications, with a particular focus on applying to Oxford, as well moral markets and business innovation strategy.
Kellogg College, Oxford
Dr. Kubilay Ahmet Küçük is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford and a former researcher at ETH Zurich. His work focuses on trusted and confidential computing, secure remote execution, and building privacy-preserving systems for modern cloud and IoT environments. Alongside his research, Ahmet has extensive experience tutoring computer science and supporting students in both theoretical and applied computing. At Oxford Global Courses, he teaches on cybersecurity, systems security, and the governance of emerging technologies.
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Dr. Hannie Lawlor is Associate Professor in Modern Spanish Literature and Film, and Fellow and Tutor in Spanish at Lady Margaret Hall. Her research focuses on women’s autobiographical practices in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with a particular interest in comparative work across languages, cultures, and media. She delivers seminars on UK university applications, clarifying what admissions tutors are looking for and how students can present their academic case.
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Dr. Stefan Kluzek is a Professor in Sport Medicine and clinician–scientist at the University of Oxford, where he lectures in Medicine and conducts research on knee injuries, osteoarthritis and the metabolic factors that shape long-term joint health. He completed his DPhil on developing new methods to detect early inflammatory change in osteoarthritis. At Oxford Global Courses, he delivers seminars on the Oxbridge and UK university application process.
Saïd Business School, Oxford
Dr. Oğuz Karasu is a postdoctoral economist at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, affiliated with the Oxford Space Initiative, where he researches the emerging space economy and high-growth, technology-driven industries. At Oxford Global Courses, he lectures in Economics, with a particular focus on the space economy and innovation-led industries, helping students connect economic theory with real-world transformations in business and technology.
Exeter College, Oxford
Fantin Lowenstein is completing doctoral reserach at the Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, affiliated with Exeter College. He explores the role of elevated phenylalanine on cardiovascular health, focusing on metabolism, redox-signalling, and vascular physiology. At Oxford Global Courses, he tutors Medicine and contributes seminars on cardiovascular science, physiology, and life-sciences topics informed by his cutting-edge research.
Regents Park College, Oxford
Israr Khan is a law tutor at Oxford University. His research focuses on investor-state resolution in the Global South. While completing his law PhD at Oxford, he was elected President of the Oxford Union, and won numerous awards for advocacy, including the Jessup International Law Competition. Israr teaches law to undergraduates and postgraduates at Oxford University. He has also organised and directed numerous Oxford summer programmes for many years.
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Nathan Weiner is an M&A Investment Banking Associate at J.P. Morgan. He studied Economics and History at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford, as well as at Northwestern University. At Oxford, he was involved in mentoring and academic support for students in economics and related subjects, and at Oxford Global Courses he teaches Economics and Business, drawing on his practical experience in finance and market analysis.
Brasenose College, Oxford
Dr. Aftab Mallick is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford as well as the Oxford Centre for Global History. His work examines global capitalism, financial systems, and the political economy of South Asia across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. At Oxford University, Aftab tutors both undergraduates and postgraduates studying History. At Oxford Global Courses, he tutors world history.
Nuffield College, Oxford
Edie Guo is a DPhil candidate in Women’s and Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford. Her research integrates laboratory experimentation, advanced spectroscopy, and machine learning to develop diagnostic approaches for complex disease. She holds an MSc in Clinical Embryology, has taught graduate-entry medical students at Oxford, is the recipient of multiple prestigious research scholarships, and has published work with over 600 citations, including research that directly impacted policy in the United States.
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
Danial Hussain graduated from Oxford with a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He served as President of the Oxford Students’ Union, where he authored ‘The College Disparity Report’, which highlighted systemic inequalities within Oxford. It led to national media coverage in The Times with over 3,000 signatures on our Open Letter. At Oxford Global Courses, he tutors any of Politics, Economics, and Philosophy.
Merton College, Oxford
Mihai Vasile earned a First-Class Master’s degree in Physics from Merton College, Oxford, and is now completing doctoral research using advanced optical sensing techniques to study neuroreceptor systems with single-molecule precision. A former International Physics Olympiad competitor at age 15, Mihai tutors in Physics and Mathematics at Oxford Global Courses and is a dedicated mentor committed to helping students reach their full potential.
Hertford College, Oxford
Akshay is an AI product leader and Oxford MBA graduate, where he served as Co-Chair of the Technology Oxford Business Network. His work sits at the intersection of AI, product strategy, and cloud systems, helping teams turn ideas into scalable, human-centred products. Before Oxford, he studied at Yale and gained experience across global technology and product roles. At Oxford Global Courses, he contributes to sessions on AI strategy, digital product innovation, and the future of intelligent systems.
Christ Church, Oxford
Bob Sira Sira is an engineer at Microsoft and a postgraduate Software Engineering student at Christ Church, University of Oxford. At Microsoft, he works within the Cloud and AI division, contributing to the development of the Windows Server operating system. Alongside his work at Microsoft, Bob has built a range of applications and websites for multiple organisations. Bob is also an experienced tutor, teaching computer science.
Trinity College, Cambridge
Barty Wardell studied Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Cambridge, ranking in the top 10% his year. While at Cambridge, he served as Co-President of Cambridge University Spaceflight, a student society that designs and launches high-powered rockets. He is now CEO of Vividata, an AI consulting firm that builds tailored machine-learning solutions for global businesses. At Oxford Global Courses, he teaches engineering.
St. Edmund's Hall, Oxford
Aleksander Krużewski read Economics and Management at the University of Oxford. He later completed master’s study at HEC Paris and Yale University, and worked as a Research Assistant at HEC on a finance project examining the Federal Home Loan Bank System’s effect on excess risk taking. He is COO and Co-Founder of Vividata, where he helps Fortune 500 companies apply AI in practical, measurable ways. At Oxford Global Courses, he teaches Business and Entrepreneurship and Economics, and delivers lectures on AI.