Ed Randall is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and Social Policy at Goldsmiths University of London. He studied Sociology and Social Administration at Durham University before going on to the London School of Economics to complete a Masters degree in Social Work and Social Administration. Ed trained and qualified as a nurse at St. Thomas' Hospital, London before becoming a university lecturer and researcher. Apart from teaching and researching politics and social policy he has served as an elected member of a London Borough Council (from 1982 to 1998). He is currently the Deputy Head of Politics and Senior Tutor in the Politics Department at Goldsmiths.