Personal statement

I started my academic life researching semiconductors and found the appeal of teaching in the labs too strong. After completing my PGDE at Strathclyde I took up a post as a Physics teacher taking on a wide range of curricular and extracurricular roles. I returned to study at Strathclyde and achieved an MEd in Leadership and Management in Education before becoming a Principal teacher of Physics. The draw of academia led me to take up a position as a Teaching Fellow in Educational Leadership. In my current position as STEM sub-theme lead in the Strathclyde Institute of Education, my work sits uniquely at the intersection of science, digital education and educational leadership. I view my work through a socially progressive lens, combining my scholarship and teaching interests to work towards new ways of ensuring that STEM education can act as a facilitator of equity and fairness in society. In particular I am interesting in widening access to high quality STEM instruction to all young people. I received funding to develop CLPL for Early Years, I am firmly of the opinion that a strong basis to STEM education will lead to a brighter future for pupils – whether or not this is their chosen career path. Science and Engineering remain at the core of my interests. I am particularly interested in the dynamics of leadership and how this can be related to balanced subject choice in STEM education. My interests extend to into all ages of learning and I co-lead the Strathclyde University Physics Education Research (SUPER) group. Practical and experimental work are central to science and the projects I am working on currently are directly related to how we can help develop students' skills at all levels of education. As Chair of the Institute of Physics Scotland committee I advocate for continued high quality specialist provision of Physics in Scottish Secondary Schools. Ensuring access to this instruction is central to a socially progressive view of Science learning.