Sharon Dobson Waters is the Head of Department for Education and Social Work in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law. The Education aspects of Sharon's Department currently encompasses the discipline areas of education, initial teacher education, early childhood, childhood and youth, TESOL  and initial teacher training. The English Language Centre, which is liasied to the Department, supports the attainment of international students across the University.

Sharon began her teaching career in a local college of further education in the field of adult and further education. This included the development and delivery of a range of initial teacher training and continuing professional development programmes for teachers practising in what is now the Lifelong Learning Sector (post 14 sector). She has worked in higher education for 14 years and has a particular interest in higher education and dyslexia support, which was the focus of her doctoral thesis.

Sharon is a dyslexia specialist, and completed a postgraduate diploma through the University of York and the Dyslexia Institute in Sheffield in 1998. She has developed a range of modules that sit within the subject groups BA Education Studies and MA Education which enable educational practitioners to develop their expertise in this area of specific learning difficulty as well as more general issues around inclusion.

Sharon is interested in the impact of dyslexia on learning and education policy and practice in this area. Sharon achieved her Education Doctorate in 2018 from Durham University.

Sharon has a particular interest in dyslexia, inclusion issues, special educational needs and the motivation of adults as learners.