Professor Jacky Lumby's main interests are in leadership and management, particularly in 14-19 and post-compulsory education. Her research has encompassed studies of the practice of school and college leader/managers at all levels in the UK and internationally. She is concerned to explore how leaders can establish relationships, systems and processes which support all learners and staff to succeed in the context of living a life they value. Partnership and diversity issues are particular interests within the broad field of leadership and management. She has researched and published widely on leadership and management in schools in the UK and South Africa and on the leadership and management of further/technical education in the UK, China, Hong Kong and South Africa. She is also interested in adopting an international perspective, challenging the assumption in much writing on educational leadership and management of the appropriateness of Western-derived concepts, theories and suggested practice to different cultures and within an increasingly diverse UK culture.

Her most recent book (with Dr Marianne Coleman) published by Sage, explores diversity and leadership. She has written (with Professor Nick Foskett) on 14-19 education, also published by Sage.

Professor Lumby entered higher education after a long and varied involvement with education, having taught and led in secondary schools, adult and community and further education She also worked in a Training and Enterprise Council with responsibility for the development of managers in both business and education, managing a network which allowed the cross-fertilisation of skills and experience from education into business and vice versa.

She is co editor of International Studies in Educational Administration, an editor of two forthcoming international handbooks on leader preparation and development and a member of the Council of the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Association.