About

I am a Senior Lecturer and social science researcher at the International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS), University of Derby. My research is concerned with the sociology of work and careers, particularly how careers are understood, represented and organised within wider social, cultural and institutional contexts. Drawing on critical social theory, feminist and poststructuralist perspectives, I examine the relationships between work, identity, power and inequality. I am particularly interested in how ideas about career, employability and success are constructed and reproduced through public discourse, policy and institutional practices.

Since joining iCeGS in February 2023, I have led and contributed to national and international research projects spanning career development, education, employment and social justice. My work combines theoretical and empirical research with applied research and evaluation, including projects with the Careers & Enterprise Company, the Gatsby Foundation, Institute of Student Employers and other national and international organisations. I am also Grant Holder Manager for a COST Action CA23112, supporting international research collaboration.

Alongside my research and teaching, I contribute to the academic development of iCeGS. I lead the Centre's academic networks and engagement activities, including its annual lecture, seminar series and associates network, and represent iCeGS within the Institute of Education's research cluster. I also work with visiting academics and international partners to develop research collaborations and contribute to the Centre's wider research activities.

Research interests

My research explores the politics of career knowledge, particularly how certain understandings of careers become dominant, whose experiences they privilege, and what they leave unquestioned. This includes the representation of working lives in public discourse, the assumptions underpinning employability and skills policies, and the relationship between career guidance and social inequality. My current conceptual work also examines the possibilities of relational and sociomaterial approaches to understanding how careers come into being.

Recent publications

• Vahidi, G., Barnard, S., & Arnold, J. (2026). Constructing the “career woman” in British newspapers: A feminist critical discourse analysis. Gender, Work & Organization. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.70270

• Institute of Student Employers, Lai, K. T., Vahidi, G., & Hooley, T. (2026). ISE student recruitment survey 2026. Institute of Student Employers. View report

• Hooley, T., & Vahidi, G. (2025). Comparing the Conservative and Labour Party's proposals for skills: What's the problem represented to be? Journal of Education Policy, 40(5), 807–827. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2025.2498893

• Lai, K. T., Vahidi, G., Hooley, T., Borbély-Pecze, T. B., Clobes, N., McCarthy, J., & Hopkins, S. (2025). Career guidance in public employment services. WAPES & ICCDPP.

• Vahidi, G., Barnard, S., & Arnold, J. (2024). Parallel representations: Career development in media and academic literature. Journal of the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling, 52, 1, 52-66. https://doi.org/10.20856/jnicec.5205
• Lai, T., Vahidi, G., & Hooley, T. (2024). Taking early careers global: Global employers’ insights report 2024. International Network of Employers and University Careers Services. https://gcssummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Taking-Early-Careers-Global-Global-Employers-Insights-Report-2024.pdf
• Vahidi, G., Arnold, J., & Barnard, S. (2022). Examining career transition narratives through the lens of social justice: A critical study of the British press. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2022.2077305
• Furlotti, M., Vahidi, G., & Shipton, H. (2022) Innovative Behaviour, Emotional Competencies, and Experiential Learning. Academy of Management Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2022.143

Qualifications

• PhD in Career Studies - Loughborough University
• MA (Hons) Global Communications Management - Cardiff University
• BA (Hons) Media, Advertising & Public Relations - Middlesex University

Recent conferences

• Vahidi, G., & Christie, F. (2026). Collaboration for future action. Conference session at Conceptualising Career for the Precarious 21st Century: Informing Policy and Practice, 2nd COCAG International Conference, Porto, Portugal, 6–7 May 2026. Member of the Organising and Scientific Committees.

• Vahidi, G., & Hooley, T. (2025). The politics of skills: Competing visions of education and social mobility. Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Transitions, Careers and Guidance (NorNet 2025), Hveragerði, Iceland, 2–3 October 2025.

• Hooley, T., Vahidi, G., & Bergmo-Prvulovic, I. (2025). Critical perspectives on career and career guidance (COCAG): Opportunities for participation. Interactive conference session, 5th International Conference on Transitions, Careers and Guidance (NorNet 2025), Hveragerði, Iceland, 3 October 2025.

In the media

• Understanding how salaries compare to inflation and trends is crucial to early talent attraction. (2023). ISE Research Insights. https://insights.ise.org.uk/research/blog-understanding-how-salaries-compare-to-inflation-and-trends-is-crucial-to-early-talent-attraction/.
• How hybrid working is impacting development programmes (2023). ISE Research Insights. https://insights.ise.org.uk/development/how-hybrid-working-is-impacting-development-programmes/

International experience

• European Doctoral Programme in Career Guidance and Counselling (ECADOC), Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, 17–21 August 2026. Member of the organising team for the international doctoral summer school, supporting programme coordination, academic activities and collaboration between doctoral researchers and international faculty.

• COCAG International Conference, Porto, Portugal, 6–7 May 2026. Member of the Organising and Scientific Committees for Conceptualising Career for the Precarious 21st Century: Informing Policy and Practice. Co-facilitated the closing session, Collaboration for Future Action, with Fiona Christie.

• Career Development Week MENA, Middle East and North Africa, 18 November 2025. Invited speaker at the international online event, presenting career guidance policy and practice in Iran.

• European Doctoral Programme in Career Guidance and Counselling (ECADOC), Wrocław, Poland, 2–6 June 2025. Academic faculty member, providing collective academic supervision and research feedback to doctoral researchers. Co-convened a panel on Building International Collaboration, exploring opportunities for cross-national research partnerships.

Teaching responsibilities

I worked as the Module Leader for Career Guidance: Policy and Society on the MA programme at the University of Derby 2025/6 and supervise MA, PhD and EdD students.

My previous teaching experience includes Human Resource Management, Organisational Behaviour, Social Psychology, Qualitative Research Methods and Quantitative Data Analysis. I have also supervised MBA and MA dissertations in Human Resource Management.