Dr Jane Essex
Reader
Education
Personal statement
I am a Reader in education, with a specialism in inclusion in STEM. My current teaching and supervision responsibilities on the PGDE chemistry. I also contribute to the teaching on BA routes and MA programme, as well as supervising research students from BA through to PhD routes. I moved to Strathclyde University from Brunel University London. Prior to that I had been an Initial Teacher Education tutor at Keele University (Staffordshire).
I taught science in schools in various parts of England before moving to Higher Education and retain a keen interest in all aspects of school science.
My major professional and research interests, are inclusive science education, and the preparation of teachers to deliver an inclusive STEM curriculum, along with curriculum design and assessment. My primary focus in on science for learners with intellectual disabilities but my interest extends far more widely into the mechanisms by which some groups are excluded from science.
In addition, I am active in science outreach, for which I have achieved international recognition, and regularly run inclusive and accessible chemistry events at the University of Strathclyde, in conjunction with colleagues from chemistry and chemical engineering. I have worked with a range of visitor centres to develop their STEM outreach programmes, and have regularly collaborated with colleagues at sites of historic and cultural significance.
Prize And Awards
- STEM Inspiration Award
- Recipient
- 20/5/2022
- Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2022
- Recipient
- 14/2/2022
- Winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry: Inclusion and Diversity Award
- Recipient
- 7/5/2019
- RSC committee Innovation award
- Recipient
- 30/10/2018
- Winner of the Herald Global Game Changers Award
- Recipient
- 12/9/2018
- Shortlisted for STEMnet ambassador of the year
- Recipient
- 1/11/2016
Qualifications
2001- 2005 Open University Doctorate in Education, Can mentoring raise attainment in Science?
1997-2000 Open University Master of Arts (Education)
1985-1986 Univ. of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Post Graduate Certificate in Education
1982-1985 Univ. of London Bachelor of Science (Hons), Toxicology and Pharmacology
Publications
- Differently skilled and equally valuable : neurodiverse scientists in the workplace
- Essex Jane
- Nature Reviews Chemistry (2023)
- Earth materials : a fresh look at an old topic
- Essex Jane
- Primary Science Review Vol 179, pp. 27-29 (2023)
- Culturally responsive science outreach
- Birnie Ingeborg, Essex Jane, Ross Kirsty
- (2023)
- Teaching for inclusion
- Essex Jane
- Professional Studies for Trainee Secondary Teachers Learning Matters (2023) (2023)
- Practical approaches to enhancing inclusion in STEM
- Essex Jane
- Highland Science Teachers CLPL (2023)
- The ASE Inclusive Science Group
- Essex Jane, Butler Rob
- Association for Science Education: National Conference 2023 (2023)
Research Interests
My research interests cluster around science education, specifically the impact of science outreach and inclusive science teaching. Related research areas include the preparation of teachers for inclusive practice.
Professional Activities
- The 15th Conference of the European Science Education Research association (ESERA)
- Participant
- 28/8/2023
- A Case Study of Co-creation as a Socially Just Epistemology
- Speaker
- 23/8/2023
- Additional Support Needs in Scottish Education: Functional Description or Feature of Failure?
- Speaker
- 23/8/2023
- BGE Science Immersion Week
- Organiser
- 10/2022
- Inclusive Education in STEM
- Speaker
- 26/9/2022
- Engineering equity in STEM employment’
- Recipient
- 13/7/2022
Projects
- Rannsachadh Àrainn Eucoir: Am Puffin Bochd (English: Crime Science Investigation: The Poor Puffin)
- Ross, Kirsty (Principal Investigator) Birnie, Inge (Co-investigator) Essex, Jane (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2022 - 30-Jan-2023
- Engineering equity in STEM employment
- Essex, Jane (Principal Investigator) Hendry, Martyn (Principal Investigator) Cunningham, Margaret Rose (Principal Investigator) Ivaturi, Aruna (Principal Investigator) Wang, Yirui (Principal Investigator) McQuilken, Natasha (Principal Investigator)
- The project considered how to enhance the sustainability and resilience of the STEM workforce in the twenty-first century. The opportunity to engage in meaningful work enhances individual health and well-being, as well as enhancing social cohesion and economic prosperity. Specifically, the project considered how technical expertise in industry and academia can be shared with people who are hugely under-represented in the STEM workforce despite their evident capabilities and interest in STEM. The scheme builds upon a highly successful STEM for sustainability summer school that ran last summer and will involve researchers who attended last year, along with others who expressed an interest in joining the project, plus pupils from South Ayrshire schools who have ASN. In addition, the scheme involved regional STEM employers, giving them a chance to develop their understanding of the capacities of diverse young people and their potential to contribute positively to their organisations.
- 01-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2023
- Evaluating whether microscale chemistry techniques can enhance the inclusivity of school lab work
- Essex, Jane (Principal Investigator)
- 05-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2023
- Inclusive and Accessible Salters' Institute Chemistry Festival
- Essex, Jane (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2021 - 30-Jan-2021
- Sustainable impact by design: a pilot study of effective STEM dissemination for hard-to-reach audiences
- Gonzalez-Longo, Cristina (Co-investigator) Essex, Jane (Principal Investigator) Hendry, Martyn (Co-investigator) Cunningham, Margaret Rose (Co-investigator) Giovelli, Noemi (Post Grad Student) Ivaturi, Aruna (Co-investigator) Li, Rui (Co-investigator) Maddock, Christie (Co-investigator) Somorin, Tosin (Co-investigator) Yue, Hong (Co-investigator) Egea Alvarez, Agusti (Co-investigator)
- STEM Equals + RKES funded project
- 01-Jan-2021 - 31-Jan-2023
- Diversity in Science towards Social Inclusion
- Essex, Jane (Principal Investigator) Birnie, Inge (Principal Investigator) Ross, Kirsty (Principal Investigator)
- An Erasmus+ project that seeks to explore teaching strategies that could overcome barriers to full involvement of science by school pupils with a range of personal characteristics.
- 01-Jan-2021 - 14-Jan-2023