Sofia Malik

Dr. Sofia Malik, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), where she also serves as the co-coordinator for the Education Policy and Planning program.

Dr. Malik's career journey began as a teacher within the public school system in the Greater Toronto Area. This formative experience ignited her passion for driving change and improvement within schools, fostering a deep commitment to systemic transformations aimed at advancing equity in education. Throughout her career, Dr. Malik has collaborated extensively with education stakeholders, including school boards, universities, and non-profit organizations. Her focus has consistently been on utilizing research to inform educational strategy, evaluation, and policy. She has led numerous research and knowledge mobilization initiatives, emphasizing the crucial connection between research, policy, and practice. As a former public policy manager, she has worked both at the Ontario Ministry of Education and as the head of a research department in a large urban school district, all with the goal of translating research into actionable policy and improving the classroom experience for students.

Dr. Sofia Malik's academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, where she also served as a faculty member prior to joining UT Austin. She also holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Education from Queen's University, and a Master of Education from the University of Ottawa. Her academic and professional achievements exemplify her commitment to advancing education through research, policy, and practice.