I am a researcher in educational leadership and policy and currently doing PhD in education at the University of Adelaide, Australia. My research explores the embodied and situated experiences of negotiating power, identity, and responsibility in educational leadership contexts. I bring critical perspectives to the issues of equity in educational leadership and policy, and how they impact educational leaders’ decision making. I have a particular interest in gendered practices in educational leadership spaces and how such power dynamics influence women leaders in shaping their identities. My research passion is drawn on two decades of experience in Pakistan’s education sector serving on crucial leadership roles in public education department. My career is marked by award-winning achievements and a commitment to deliver for national initiatives aimed at enhancing the equity, accessibility, and quality of education. Amongst others, my projects include innovative delivery of educational programming to ensure continuity of learning during COVID-19 pandemic through #TeleSchool aimed for more than forty million children. The interplay of my rich leadership experience in Pakistan with my current academic endeavours, offers a unique lens to explore educational leadership, policy dynamics, and the integration of cross-cultural educational insights.
Publications
Adnan, S. (2025). Speaking from the margins: A case of ‘truth-telling’ spaces for the women educational leaders in Pakistan. Journal of Educational Administration and History, 57(4), 482–501. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220620.2025.2503934
Adnan, S., & Kelly, S. (2026, in press). Experiencing the dispositif of educational leadership: Performativity and the ethics of leading critically. In R. Niesche & D. Mifsud (Eds.), Thinking with Michel Foucault in educational leadership: Methodological and conceptual challenges. Bloomsbury.
Saadia Adnan 