In short
Dr Tej Samani is the founder and CEO of Performance Learning, the UK exam coaching and learning assessment company he set up in 2013. He has spent more than a decade researching how pupils learn, completed doctoral research on improving exam results and assessment in schools, and has co-authored peer-reviewed papers on artificial intelligence in education. He also coaches families one to one.
Who is Dr Tej Samani?
Dr Tej Samani is the founder and CEO of Performance Learning. He has spent more than a decade researching how pupils learn and how to help them perform in exams, and he completed doctoral research focused on improving exam results and assessment in schools.
Before he worked in education, Tej competed on the ATP Tour as a professional tennis player. He went on to build five education technology companies that serve schools, parents and prisons, each using science-based approaches to learning. He founded Performance Learning in 2013, and you can read how it grew in our story.
Credentials
- Doctorate focused on improving exam results and assessment in schools
- First author of a peer-reviewed paper at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2017), and co-author of a paper at AIED 2018
- Research partnerships with UCL Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University and Coventry University
- Youngest recipient of the Freeman of the City of London award
- One Young World Ambassador
- Featured on BBC World Service; speaker at the 2017 Global Education & Skills Forum
Research and publications
Over more than a decade, Tej has taken a multidisciplinary approach to one core question: what is the most sustainable and transferable way to boost performance, and can it be delivered through AI? His published work so far:
- Bridging the Gap Between High and Low Performing Pupils Through Performance Learning Online Analysis and Curricula. Tej Samani, Kaśka Porayska-Pomsta and Rosemary Luckin. Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2017), Springer, June 2017. Read the paper on Springer
- Leveraging Non-cognitive Student Self-reports to Predict Learning Outcomes. Kaśka Porayska-Pomsta, Manolis Mavrikis, Mutlu Cukurova, Maria Margeti and Tej Samani. Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2018), Springer, June 2018. Read the paper on Springer
- Improving the Retention and Progression of Learners Through Intelligent Systems for Diagnosing Metacognitive Competencies – A Case Study in UK Further Education. Tej Samani, Ana Isabel Canhoto and Esin Yoruk. Book chapter, Springer, April 2021. Read the chapter on Springer
Tej’s data also features in a fourth paper he did not author:
- Evidence, policy, education and neuroscience – The state of play in the UK. Michael Thomas, Paul Howard-Jones, Jeremy Dudman-Jones, Lucy R. J. Palmer, Astrid E. J. Bowen and Roisin Perry. PsyArXiv preprint, March 2024. Read the preprint on OSF
That article reports the analysis behind Performance Learning’s headline result: students using Performance Learning improved by an average of 2.4 grades against their predicted grades (Thomas et al., 2024, an analysis of 940 students led by Birkbeck’s Centre for Educational Neuroscience). Our research page explains each study in plain English, including its limits.
Media and speaking
Tej regularly speaks and writes about how young people learn.
- Broadcast: featured on BBC World Service, discussing the importance of sleep.
- Conferences: presented at the 2017 Global Education & Skills Forum in Dubai.
- Podcasts and roundtables: a regular guest on education technology podcasts and at roundtable discussions for organisations such as the tmrw institute.
- Press: Performance Learning has been covered by The Times, the Financial Times, Forbes and i News, among others. See our press coverage.
- Social media: Tej shares learning tips on TikTok at @tejsamani.
What is Dr Tej’s approach to learning?
Tej’s approach starts from a simple idea: underperformance is not always about intelligence. More often it is about how a young person feels about learning, how they see themselves and how they behave when the pressure is on.
So rather than re-teaching content, he teaches children how to learn their subjects. That means organising and recalling information, exam technique, managing exam anxiety and wellbeing, and staying focused under pressure. The aim is an approach to study that is sustainable, enjoyable and transferable to every subject.
“Self-perception is the single most important performance variable. Change that, and everything else changes.”
Through Performance Learning, Tej works to help the hardest-to-reach learners in some of the most challenged schools, where students from all walks of life face very different barriers.
“The only way to change the world and make it a better place is to positively influence the generations that today look up to you.”
Dear Dr Tej: answers for parents
In his Dear Dr Tej column, Tej answers real questions from parents, from exam anxiety that is affecting grades to bright children who do the bare minimum at school. Each column takes one parent’s question and offers practical advice.
Work with Dr Tej
Families who want to change how their child learns can apply for Academic Transformation with Dr Tej, his most intensive programme. It combines year-round one-to-one coaching with Tej, a personalised folder of learning material and access to SOAR between sessions. Places are by application only.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dr Tej Samani?
Dr Tej Samani is the founder and CEO of Performance Learning, which he set up in 2013. Before working in education he competed on the ATP Tour as a professional tennis player. He has spent more than a decade researching how pupils learn and has built five education technology companies serving schools, parents and prisons. He is a One Young World Ambassador.
What are Dr Tej Samani's qualifications?
Dr Tej Samani holds a doctorate focused on improving exam results and assessment in schools. He was first author of a peer-reviewed paper at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education in 2017 and a co-author of another there in 2018. He has research partnerships with UCL Institute of Education, Oxford Brookes University and Coventry University.
What research has Dr Tej Samani published?
Dr Tej Samani has co-authored peer-reviewed papers at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (2017 and 2018) and a 2021 Springer case study on further education. His doctoral data on Performance Learning is also reported in a 2024 article led by Professor Michael Thomas of Birkbeck, University of London. Plain-English summaries are on the Performance Learning research page.
Can my child be coached by Dr Tej Samani?
Yes, through Academic Transformation with Dr Tej, Performance Learning's most intensive programme. It includes year-round one-to-one, face-to-face coaching with Dr Tej, a personalised folder of learning material he curates, and access to the SOAR online platform between sessions. Places are by application only, so the first step is to register your interest.
Where can I read Dr Tej Samani's advice for parents?
Dr Tej answers real questions from parents in his Dear Dr Tej column on the Performance Learning blog. Topics so far include exam anxiety, failed mock exams, school refusal, a teenager scared to leave school and bright children who do the bare minimum. In each, Dr Tej responds to one parent's question with practical advice drawn from his coaching.
Is Dr Tej Samani available for interviews and speaking?
Yes. Dr Tej has been featured on BBC World Service, spoke at the 2017 Global Education & Skills Forum and is a regular podcast and roundtable guest. He comments on metacognition, exam performance, exam anxiety, student wellbeing, study skills and artificial intelligence in education. For media or speaking enquiries, email uk@myperformancelearning.com.
