Image credits, left to right: [1] Art: Measuring mistakes by Ulrike Kuchner. Lapel pin: CepheidStudio. [2] EROJ003707+0909.5, aka the space-invader. [3] Mapping dark matter with gravitational lensing. [4] Searching for gravitationally lensed gravitational waves.
Education, learning and development
I currently support Birmingham students and colleagues as Programme Lead for our Physics and Astrophysics (PaA) undergraduate degree programme. In the current academic year I teach Observational Astronomy (second year lecture course), tutor second and third year students, co-teach General Physics (third year), and lead the Scientific Computing lab (python coding) for first year students.
Physics and astronomy education is a wonderful vehicle for developing data-driven decision-making skills that are essential in modern society. My philosophy has grown from helping undergraduates with various experimental, data analysis, coding, and interpretation challenges in numerous labs that I have led since 2010. This included a period as Director of the University of Birmingham Observatory, during which I supported a diverse team to install and commission a new telescope. This was the catalyst for major changes in undegrad labs, and public engagement.
In the 1990s I designed and delivered leadership and skills training programmes as a management consultant, often focussing on facilitation skills for teams striving to improve business performance and drive positive culture change. I co-designed and facilitated many client workshops, and trained a wide variety of client and consulting teams.
My first experience of academic teaching was to co-teach "Accounting for Control" with Tony Rayman at the Bradford School of Management. I introduced students to concepts in non-financial performance measurement, next to Tony's financial content.
I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and thus qualified to teach in the UK Higher Education sector.
