Nicola is Senior Fair Access Adviser at UCAS, where she has been involved in widening access and participation for students from under-represented and disadvantaged groups since she joined in 2016. She co-authored UCAS reports on student mental health, disabled students, and care-experienced students, and works closely with expert organisations to help improve the experience of accessing higher education for under-represented and disadvantaged groups. A former teacher, Nicola is strong believer in the transformative potential of education, and the importance of collaborative working to drive improvements for learners – whatever their background. Outside of work, Nicola is a trustee for the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL) and is usually found in the garden planning new projects.