Marek Tesar

Professor Marek Tesar FPESA
Professor Marek Tesar, FPESA
Occupations	Academic, Administrator, Early Childhood and Childhood Studies Scholar, Educational Philosopher
Title	Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne
Academic background
Education	University of Auckland (PhD) Harvard Graduate School of Education
Doctoral advisor	Alison Jones

Professor Marek Tesar FPESA is a New Zealand / Czechoslovak academic leader, administrator, researcher, and educational philosopher specialising in early childhood education, childhood studies, and curriculum research. He is Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. ^[1]

Education

Tesar holds a PhD in Education from the University of Auckland. ^[1] His doctoral advisor was Professor Alison Jones.

In 2024, he completed the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education (MLE) program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. ^[2]

Academic and professional career

Before his Melbourne appointment, Tesar served as Head of the School of Learning Development and Professional Practice at the University of Auckland. ^{[3] [1]} He also held the position of Associate Dean International in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland. ^[4]

Tesar was a Foundational Director of the Centre for Global Childhoods, a University of Auckland research centre focused on childhoods and early years research. ^[5] He also chaired the Early Years, Childhood Studies and Child Development Research and Teaching Hub at the University of Auckland. ^[6]

In 2017, he was awarded the Early Career Fellowship in Early Childhood Education and Development, jointly sponsored by the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). ^[7]

Tesar has been a frequent invited keynote speaker at international conferences. He delivered a keynote at the Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association (PECERA) 2025 Conference in Shanghai, China, titled Global Childhood in Asia Pacific: Key Issues, Emerging Trends, and Future Opportunities for Early Years. ^[8]

Other invited addresses include the Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education (RECE) Conference, the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA) annual conference, and international policy and education forums in Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region. ^{[9] [10]}

In March 2025, he joined as the Dean of Education at the University of Melbourne. ^[1]

Research and publications

Tesar is the author or co-author of several academic books on early childhood education and educational philosophy. His recent works include:

Home in Early Childhood Education: Conceptualizations and Reconfigurations (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) ^[11]

Reframing the Everyday in Early Childhood Pedagogy: Conceptualising the Mundane (Routledge, 2023) ^[12]

The University as an Ethical Academy? (Routledge, 2022) ^[13]

Honours and awards

In 2025, Tesar has received several significant academic honors, including the NZARE Sutton-Smith Doctoral Award ^[1] and the University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis. ^[14] He was also awarded the AERA Outstanding Qualitative Dissertation Award ^{[15] [16]} and the University of Auckland Early Career Research Excellence Award. ^[17] In 2023, he was elected a Fellow of the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (FPESA). ^{[1] [18]}

Media and public engagement

Tesar has written commentary for The Conversation on early childhood education, curriculum, and education policy. ^[19] His analysis has been featured in major New Zealand media, including 1News, ^[20] the New Zealand Herald and ^[21] the Radio New Zealand. ^[22] He has participated in interviews and discussions with education-focused publications in Australia and internationally. ^{[23] [24]}

Personal life

Tesar is partnered with Nina Hood, an academic and founder of The Education Hub. They have two sons, William James and George Alexander. ^[25]

External links

• Marek Tesar on Google Scholar
• Dean of Education – University of Melbourne

References

1. "Professor Marek Tesar appointed Dean of Education". University of Melbourne. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
2. "Institute for Management and Leadership in Education (MLE)". Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
3. "Faculty of Education and Social Work staff: Professor Marek Tesar". University of Auckland. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
4. "Faculty of Education and Social Work staff: Professor Marek Tesar". University of Auckland.
5. "Centre for Global Childhoods". University of Auckland. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
6. "Research hubs – University of Auckland". University of Auckland. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
7. "AERA–SRCD Early Career Fellowship in Early Childhood Education and Development". American Educational Research Association. April 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
8. "Keynote Speakers – PECERA 2025". Shanghai Normal University. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
9. "Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education". RECE.
10. "Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia". PESA.
11. Gibbons, A.; Gaches, S.; Urban, M.; Sapon-Shevin, M.; Murray, C.; Arndt, S.; Tesar, M. (2024). Home in Early Childhood Education: Conceptualizations and Reconfigurations. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN   9783031436970.
12. Myers, C. Y.; Hostler, R.; Smith, K.; Tesar, M. (2023). Reframing the Everyday in Early Childhood Pedagogy: Conceptualising the Mundane. Routledge. ISBN   9781032451756.
13. Tesar, M.; Peters, M. A.; Jackson, L. (2022). The University as an Ethical Academy?. Routledge. ISBN   9781032350196.
14. "Five top doctoral theses honoured". Scoop. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
15. "Critical Perspectives on Early Childhood Education SIG Awards". American Educational Research Association. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
16. "AERA SIG 82: Awards". American Educational Research Association. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
17. University of Auckland Annual Report 2015 (PDF) (Report). University of Auckland. 2015. p. 141. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
18. "Bloch Distinguished Career Award". The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
19. "Author: Marek Tesar". The Conversation. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
20. "Analysis: Lack of ECE investment hurts all levels of learning". 1News. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
21. Collins, Simon (29 March 2014). "Official stories shape kids' minds: expert". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
22. "Early childhood reforms under review – analysis by education expert". Radio New Zealand. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
23. "Philosophy of Education at the forefront of Educational Futures". Tia Sang (Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training). 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
24. "City kids in urban nature: so much to teach and learn". EducationHQ. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
25. Hood, Nina; Tesar, Marek (2021). "Teaching in the Age of Covid-19—1 Year Later". Postdigital Science and Education. 3 (3): 819–835. doi:10.1007/s42438-021-00243-7. PMC   8353069 .