Marek Tesar

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Professor Marek Tesar
FPESA
Marek Tesar.png
Professor Marek Tesar, FPESA
OccupationsAcademic, Administrator, Early Childhood and Childhood Studies Scholar, Educational Philosopher
Known forEarly Childhood Education, Philosophy of Education, Curriculum Research
TitleDean, 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, where he leads strategic initiatives in research, teaching, and international collaboration. [1]

Contents

Tesar’s research explores childhoods, curriculum, and the philosophy of education, and he has published widely on poststructural, posthuman, and methodological approaches to education. He is the author or editor of several books, including Home in Early Childhood Education: Conceptualizations and Reconfigurations (2024), Reframing the Everyday in Early Childhood Pedagogy (2023), and The University as an Ethical Academy? (2022). He has also published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and 70 book chapters in leading international outlets. [2]

He is Editor-in-Chief of the international journals Policy Futures in Education and Educational Philosophy and Theory, past President of the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia (PESA), and Chair of the Steering Committee for Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education (RECE). His work has been recognised with major honours, including the AERA Outstanding Qualitative Dissertation Award (2014), the University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis (2014), the NZARE Judith Duncan Award for Research Excellence in Early Childhood (2018), election as a Fellow of PESA (2023), Bloch Distinguished Career Award (2025) and inclusion in Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists list.

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. [3]

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. [4] [1] He also held the position of Associate Dean International in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland. [5]

Tesar was a Foundational Director of the Centre for Global Childhoods, a University of Auckland research centre focused on childhoods and early years research. [6] He also chaired the Early Years, Childhood Studies and Child Development Research and Teaching Hub at the University of Auckland. [7]

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). [8]

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. [9]

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. [10] [11]

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

Tesar is also known for leadership in academic and research communities. He has served as:

Research and publications

Tesar has published extensively on childhood studies, educational philosophy, and curriculum. He is the author or editor of several books, including:

Home in Early Childhood Education: Conceptualizations and Reconfigurations (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) [17]

Reframing the Everyday in Early Childhood Pedagogy: Conceptualising the Mundane (Routledge, 2023) [18]

The University as an Ethical Academy? (Routledge, 2022) [19]

He has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 70 book chapters. [2] His research has appeared in leading journals including Global Studies of Childhood, [20] Policy Futures in Education, [21] Educational Philosophy and Theory, [22] Qualitative Inquiry, [23] Childhood, [24] and Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. [25]

Honours and awards

In 2025, Tesar was awarded the Bloch Distinguished Career Award by the Reconceptualising Early Childhood Education (RECE) organisation, recognising his sustained and significant contributions to early childhood education through research, leadership, and service at local, national, and international levels. [26]

Tesar’s other notable awards include:

He is also Inclusion in Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists list, recognising leading international researchers across disciplines [34]

Media and public engagement

Tesar contributes regularly to public debate on education. He has written expert commentary for The Conversation on early childhood education, curriculum, and education policy. [35] His analysis has been featured in major New Zealand media, including 1News on the impact of early childhood investment, [36] the New Zealand Herald on children’s voices in education policy, [37] and a profile piece highlighting his research on childhood stories and imagination. [32]

He has also provided commentary to Radio New Zealand on early childhood reforms, [38] and has been interviewed internationally, including by EducationHQ in Australia [39] and Vietnamese national media on early childhood education and educational futures. [40]

Personal life

Tesar is partnered with Nina Hood, a New Zealand academic and founder of The Education Hub. Together they have two sons, William James and George Alexander. [41]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Professor Marek Tesar appointed Dean of Education". University of Melbourne. 18 November 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Marek Tesar – ORCID". ORCID. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  3. ↑ "Institute for Management and Leadership in Education (MLE)". Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "Faculty of Education and Social Work staff: Professor Marek Tesar". University of Auckland. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "Faculty of Education and Social Work staff: Professor Marek Tesar". University of Auckland.
  6. ↑ "Centre for Global Childhoods". University of Auckland. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  7. ↑ "Research hubs – University of Auckland". University of Auckland. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  8. ↑ "AERA–SRCD Early Career Fellowship in Early Childhood Education and Development". American Educational Research Association. April 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  9. ↑ "Keynote Speakers – PECERA 2025". Shanghai Normal University. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  10. ↑ "Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education". RECE.
  11. ↑ "Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia". PESA.
  12. ↑ "Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education – Steering Committee". RECE.
  13. ↑ "Past Presidents – Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia". PESA.
  14. ↑ "About COLAB". COLAB Community. 8 August 2023.
  15. ↑ "Policy Futures in Education – Editorial Board". SAGE Journals.
  16. ↑ "Educational Philosophy and Theory – Editorial Board". Taylor & Francis.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ Myers, C. Y.; Hostler, R.; Smith, K.; Tesar, M. (2023). Reframing the Everyday in Early Childhood Pedagogy: Conceptualising the Mundane. Routledge. ISBN   9781032451756.
  19. ↑ Tesar, M.; Peters, M. A.; Jackson, L. (2022). The University as an Ethical Academy?. Routledge. ISBN   9781032350196.
  20. ↑ Tesar, M.; Pangastuti, Y. (2024). "From Colonial Legacies to Inclusive Futures: Transforming and Reconceptualising Early Childhood Education in Indonesia". Global Studies of Childhood. 14 (3): 264–282. doi: 10.1177/20436106241268149 .
  21. ↑ Tesar, M. (2020). "Towards a Post-Covid-19 "New Normality?"". Policy Futures in Education. 18 (4): 556–559. doi:10.1177/1478210320935671.
  22. ↑ Tesar, M.; Jackson, L.; Peters, M. A. (2021). "The Ethical Academy? The University as an Ethical System". Educational Philosophy and Theory. 53 (5): 419–425. doi:10.1080/00131857.2021.1884977.
  23. ↑ Tesar, M. (2021). "Philosophy as a Method: Tracing the Histories of Intersections of 'Philosophy', 'Methodology' and 'Education'". Qualitative Inquiry. 27 (5): 544–553. doi:10.1177/1077800420934144.
  24. ↑ Abebe, T.; Balagopalan, S.; Ansell, N.; Dar, A.; Tesar, M.; Twum-Danso Imoh, A. (2023). "Teaching 'global childhoods' in Childhood Studies". Childhood. 30 (4): 360–379. doi:10.1177/09075682231205508.
  25. ↑ Gould, K.; Boyd, J.; Tesar, M. (2023). "Equity, inclusion, and belonging for teachers in early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand". Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. 24 (2): 176–188. doi:10.1177/14639491231152617. hdl: 2292/63763 .
  26. ↑ "Bloch Distinguished Career Award". The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  27. ↑ "A harvest of awards for education researchers". University of Auckland. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  28. ↑ "Critical Perspectives on Early Childhood Education SIG Awards". American Educational Research Association. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  29. ↑ University of Auckland Annual Report 2015 (PDF) (Report). University of Auckland. 2015. p. 141. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  30. ↑ "Five top doctoral theses honoured". Scoop. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  31. ↑ "AERA SIG 82: Awards". American Educational Research Association. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  32. 1 2 Collins, Simon (29 March 2014). "Official stories shape kids' minds: expert". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  33. ↑ "NZARE Awards – Past recipients". New Zealand Association for Research in Education. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  34. ↑ Ioannidis, John P.A. (2025). "Elsevier Data Repository – World's Top 2% Scientists". Elsevier Data Repository. 8. doi:10.17632/btchxktzyw.8 . Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  35. ↑ "Author: Marek Tesar". The Conversation. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  36. ↑ "Analysis: Lack of ECE investment hurts all levels of learning". 1News. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  37. ↑ "Early education on guns needs to hear children's voice". New Zealand Herald. 14 March 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  38. ↑ "Early childhood reforms under review – analysis by education expert". Radio New Zealand. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  39. ↑ "City kids in urban nature: so much to teach and learn". EducationHQ. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  40. ↑ "Philosophy of Education at the forefront of Educational Futures". Tia Sang (Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training). 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  41. ↑ 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 .
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