Helen Allan is a Professor of Nursing at Middlesex University, London, UK. She registered as a nurse in 1979, working for 13 years in acute care. After a BSc Sociology at the London School of Economics, London University, Helen trained as a nurse teacher and taught social sciences and nursing at Bloomsbury College of Nursing & Midwifery and then at the Royal College of Nursing Institute. Helen completed her PhD in Nursing part time at Manchester University in 2000. She worked with Professor Pam Smith at the University of Surrey in the Centre for Research in Nursing and Midwifery Education. Helen has held Chairs at the Universities of Surrey, York and since 2014 at Middlesex University. Helen has worked as a nurse teacher and as a researcher for the last 20 years. She's particularly interested in how nurses learn in clinical practice and the role of emotions in clinical practice and their effect on learning.

Karen Evans, PhD, FAcSS is Emeritus Professor of Education at UCL Institute of Education. She held the Chair in Education in the Department of Education, Practice and Society at UCL and served as Head of Lifelong Education and International Development in the Institute of Education, University of London. Karen's research and publications focus on learning in the life and work transitions of youth and adulthood. Honorary Professorships currently include the UK Economic and Social Research Council Centre for Learning and Life Chances (LLAKES, UCL) and RMIT University, Australia. She also plays leading roles in the Asia-Europe Education and Research Hub for Lifelong Learning and in VETNET (European Educational Research Association). She was honoured to be awarded the European Commission's Vocational Education and Training Research Award in 2017.