Professor Edward Melhuish is a professor of Human Development at the University of Oxford. He is a highly renowned international research expert on quality in Early Learning and Care. His work uses theoretically driven research to address applied issues and policy questions to produce improvements in development and well-being. He has led the seminal studies in this field including the Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) and the Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) projects and the National Evaluation of Sure Start and is involved in international research across Europe and the world. He has undertaken research in 12 countries, including large-scale longitudinal studies in Norway, the UK, and Australia involving family, community and pre-school influences on child development, and policy implications. He is a director of the EU project (ISOTIS) on childhood inequality involving 11 countries, and an experienced contributor to policy development, nationally and internationally, as an advisor to OECD, WHO, and the European Commission. In 2016 he was awarded an OBE for services to Social Science, and undertakes substantial pro bono work for charities involved with child wellbeing.