Michael Fullan Emerging Scholar in Professional Capital and Community Award 2026
This year, we were delighted to receive outstanding submissions for the Michael Fullan Emerging Scholar Award. The committee deliberated and selected two winners that reflect cutting edge research on professional capital in diverse settings. Taken together the work of these scholars extends the concept of professional capital along both theoretical and contextual lines. The future of research in professional capital and community is in excellent hands with Dr Emily Gonzalez and Dr Assel Sharimova!
Dr. Assel Sharimova
Graduate School of Education, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan
Postdoctoral Scholar in Teacher Education and Educational Leadership
I am grateful to receive the 2026 Michael Fullan Emerging Scholar Award, which recognises my work on contributing to the understanding and use of professional capital and community. My research examined how teachers develop and mobilise professional capital through virtual professional communities, with a focus on Kazakhstan. Building on my earlier experience in teacher professional development, I became interested in how collaborative learning can extend beyond formal training. I explored how social media supports informal learning, particularly in reform contexts with varying access to professional support. I also integrate these ideas into my teaching and work with educators and researchers to support collaborative professional communities. My sincere gratitude extends to the institutions and communities that have shaped my academic and professional journey, including the Centre of Excellence under Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools, the multi-country Political Economy of Education Research (PEER) Network, the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge, and the Graduate School of Education at Nazarbayev University. I am especially grateful to my PhD supervisor, Dr. Elaine Wilson, and my current mentor, Dr. Naureen Durrani, for their academic guidance and ongoing support. I also thank the selection committee for this recognition, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to the field.
Dr. Emily Gonzalez
Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California, USA
Researcher at the Center for Affective Neuroscience, Development, Learning and Education (CANDLE)
The challenges facing traditional education require a fundamental shift from viewing teaching as a set of “best practices” to recognizing it as a deeply developmental profession. My work is dedicated to supporting this transformation by examining how the inner worlds of educators serve as a critical springboard for their professional capital. As a scholar-practitioner, my research and leadership bridge the gap between teacher development, specifically their meaning-making and pedagogical approaches, and the realities of building professional learning communities that promote growth for both teachers and students. Now more than ever, I believe we must commit to nurturing the professional capital and capacity of our educators. It is an incredible honor to receive the Michael Fullan Emerging Scholar Award, and I am deeply grateful to the selection committee as well as my colleagues at USC and beyond for their unwavering support of my work.
About the award
The team support emerging scholars through recognition of their achievements and believe the annual award to be a critical part of building professional capital and community within the field of research.
To qualify for the award, the candidate must be a graduate of a PhD or EdD programme in education and within the first five years of his/her career as an educational scholar. The individual must demonstrate a strong record of original and significant scholarship related to professional capital and/or professional community.
Previous Winners:
2025 - Christopher Hudson
2024 - Stephen MacGregor
2023 – Ho Chun Sing Maxwell
2022 – Jeff Walls
2021 – Deborah Netolicky
2020 – Jennifer Nelson
2019 – Cecilia Azorín