Linden West, FRSA, BA (Keele), M.Clin.Psych. (Kent), M Phil (Open University) and PhD (Kent) is Professor of Education and an author and researcher in the field of lifelong learning, adult and higher education. He was formerly Reader and Co-Director of the Centre for International Studies of Diversity and Participation; and Principal Lecturer in Post-Compulsory Education. He was Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Kent and Principal Research Fellow at the University of East London; and a researcher in adult education at Keele University. He was employed at a senior level for the Workers Educational Association, in further education and Local Authority adult education. He worked for the Open University, as an educational broadcaster and is is a celebated author. His book, written with Laura Formenti, Transforming perspectives in lifelong learning and adult education won the prestigous 2019 AAACE Cyril O.Houle prize for 'outstanding literature in adult education'. In 2020 Linden was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame at the University of Oklahoma.
Linden has been Visiting Professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca, the Université de Paris Nanterre and Michegan State University. He has supervised doctoral students from Australia, Denmark, France, Canada, South Africa, Lithuania, Cameroon, Italy and France as well as in the UK. He was Director of the ERASMUS intensive international programme on methodology for doctoral students. Linden is a coordinator of the European Society for Research on the Education of Adults (ESREA) Life History and Biography Network and Transformative Processes in Learning and Education. He is a Steward of the International Transformative Learning Conference. In 2016 he was awarded the prize for outstanding literature in the field. He is an honorary life member of SCUTREA.