Marek Tesar
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.
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, Reframing the Everyday in Early Childhood Pedagogy, and The University as an Ethical Academy?. He has also published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and 70 book chapters in leading international outlets.
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, and Chair of the Steering Committee for Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education. His work has been recognised with major honours, including the American [Educational Research Association|AERA] Outstanding Qualitative Dissertation Award, the University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis, the NZARE Judith Duncan Award for Research Excellence in Early Childhood, election as a Fellow of PESA, Bloch Distinguished Career Award and inclusion in Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists list.
Education
Tesar holds a PhD in Education from the University of Auckland. His doctoral advisor was Professor Alison Jones.In 2024, he completed the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
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.He also held the position of Associate Dean International in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland.
Tesar was a Foundational Director of the Centre for Global Childhoods, a University of Auckland research centre focused on childhoods and early years research.
He also chaired the Early Years, Childhood Studies and Child Development Research and Teaching Hub at the University of Auckland.
In 2017, he was awarded the Early Career Fellowship in Early Childhood Education and Development, jointly sponsored by the American Educational Research Association and the Society for Research in Child Development.
Tesar has been a frequent invited keynote speaker at international conferences. He delivered a keynote at the Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association 2025 Conference in Shanghai, China, titled Global Childhood in Asia Pacific: Key Issues, Emerging Trends, and Future Opportunities for Early Years.
Other invited addresses include the Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education Conference, the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia annual conference, and international policy and education forums in Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region.
In March 2025, he commenced as Dean of Education at the University of Melbourne.
Tesar is also known for leadership in academic and research communities. He has served as:
- Chair of the Steering Committee for Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education
- Past President of the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia
- Co-founder and co-leader of COLAB
- Editor-in-Chief of the international journals Policy Futures in Education and ''Educational Philosophy and Theory ''
Research and publications
Home in Early Childhood Education: Conceptualizations and Reconfigurations
Reframing the Everyday in Early Childhood Pedagogy: Conceptualising the Mundane
The University as an Ethical Academy?
He has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and more than 70 book chapters. His research has appeared in leading journals including Global Studies of Childhood, Policy Futures in Education, Educational Philosophy and Theory, Qualitative Inquiry, Childhood, and Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood.
Honours and awards
In 2025, Tesar was awarded the Bloch Distinguished Career Award by the Reconceptualising Early Childhood Education organisation, recognising his sustained and significant contributions to early childhood education through research, leadership, and service at local, national, and international levels.Tesar’s other notable awards include:
- 2023 Fellow of the Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia, entitling him to use the post-nominal FPESA
- 2018 NZARE Judith Duncan Award for Research Excellence in Early Childhood
- 2016 AERA Critical Early Childhood SIG Emerging Scholar / Early Career Award
- 2015 University of Auckland Early Career Research Excellence Award
- 2014 Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis, University of Auckland
- 2014 AERA Outstanding Qualitative Dissertation Award
- 2013 University of Auckland Dean’s List for Doctoral Excellence
- 2013 NZARE Sutton-Smith Doctoral Award
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. His analysis has been featured in major New Zealand media, including 1News on the impact of early childhood investment, the New Zealand Herald on children’s voices in education policy, and a profile piece highlighting his research on childhood stories and imagination.He has also provided commentary to Radio New Zealand on early childhood reforms, and has been interviewed internationally, including by EducationHQ in Australia and Vietnamese national media on early childhood education and educational futures.