About
Dr. Dave S.P. Thomas is a senior strategic leader in higher education whose work advances cultural sensitivity and ethical data-driven inclusion through partnership with AI. Recognised as a human-centred intellectual change leader, he brings more than two decades of sector-wide influence across policy, governance, research, and institutional transformation in higher education.
As a dual-qualified Occupational Therapist and Public Health Specialist, Dr Thomas integrates systems thinking with a practice-oriented understanding of equity, wellbeing, and inclusion. He is a Board Member of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists England, and a member of the Health and Care Professions Council EDI Forum.
As a Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and advocate for intersectional inclusion, Dr. Thomas’s strategic leadership and scholarship spans curriculum redesign, inclusive pedagogy, teaching excellence enhancement, inclusive leadership development, cross-institutional learning, and delivering measurable organisational outcomes.
Dr. Thomas has a remarkable publication record, and has authored four books, in excess of 35 book chapters, and multiple peer-reviewed articles. He conceptualised the field-defining evaluative Culturally Sensitive Curricula Scales (CSCS) that continue to inform institutional educational strategy internationally.
He has held significant leadership roles in shaping TEF Gold-level performance, Access and Participation strategies, inclusive assessment reform, and university-wide equity and inclusion governance. He has influenced sector policy and supported dozens of institutions globally to build capacity for sustainable cultural transformation. He was a member of the Office for Students Blended Learning Review panel.
Dr. Thomas leads with strategic clarity, ethical stewardship, and collaborative intelligence, using data, evidence, and compassionate leadership to drive systemic, future-focused change that enables institutions – and their communities – to thrive.
