Ms Louisa Stratton

Biography

I have almost 20 years of experience as an International Education professional in the Scottish Higher Education sector. After graduating from the University of Strathclyde with a BA (Hons) in International Business and Modern Languages, I started my career in the International Recruitment team at the University of Glasgow in 2003, before moving to the International Recruitment team at Queen Margaret University Edinburgh. After my first child was born, I decided to move home to Aberdeen, taking up the role of Erasmus Institutional Coordinator at the University of Aberdeen in 2013. As of April 2021, I now head up the Go Abroad team as we transition out of the Erasmus Programme. In my role as Go Abroad Manager, I oversee incoming and outgoing student exchanges, as well as other centrally-managed international opportunities.

I am committed to ensuring that our international opportunities are available to all students, and we are always looking at ways that we can support more students to go abroad, particularly from under-represented backgrounds and disciplines. As a former exchange student from a widening access background myself, I know first-hand the transformational impact a period abroad can have, and I am keen to provide this opportunity to as many others as possible. This work is formalised under the Aberdeen 2040 strategy, Commitment 14: to "ensure all our students can have an international experience, by studying abroad or working collaboratively with international partners", working closely with Prof John Barrow in his capacity as Dean for Employability and Entrepreneurship.

Outside of work, I am an avid knitter, reader and Eurovision fan. I live with my partner and two children in rural Aberdeenshire.

Prizes and Awards

In 2022, the Go Abroad team won the AUSA and University of Aberdeen Excellence Award for the best non-academic team or service.