James Mooney

James took up his position of Access, Participation and Success Manager at the Open University in Scotland in 2019. He is committed to widening access to higher education and ensuring that all students, irrespective of background, are able to achieve their goals. 

Having left school at 16, James went on to fulfil his teenage ambition of working in record shops (remember those?) before returning to higher education via an access programme. He undertook his undergraduate degree in philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and went on to hold a lecturing position there alongside studying part-time for his postgraduate degree in film.  

James continues to indulge his academic interests and love of cinema by running the UK’s only philosophical film festival. He regularly presents at conferences on topics such as Documentary Film in the Post-Truth Age (Karlsruhe, Germany), Personal Identity in Science Fiction Film (Istanbul, Turkey) and Cats in Cinema (Cork, Ireland). He also loves cats!