Maria Nikolajeva (born 16 May 1952) is a Swedish literary critic and academic, specialising in children's literature. Since 2008, she has been Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge and a Professorial FellowofHomerton College, Cambridge. She has also been Director of Cambridge's Centre for Children's Literature since 2010. She previously taught at Stockholm University and Åbo Akademi University.[1][2][3][4]