Students and a tutor in a laboratory

Our work at the Centre for Chemistry Education spans a wide range of areas, reflecting both the diversity of chemistry as a subject and the opportunities it offers for innovation in teaching and learning.

Our Themes capture where our strengths are greatest and where we believe we can make the biggest difference

Our activities are organised around a set of interlinked Themes that reflect both our expertise and our priorities for impact. They provide the framework through which we focus our research, partnerships, and practice, while also offering a structure for how we collaborate, share knowledge, and create impact. Together, they highlight the breadth of our activity and the depth of our commitment.

Our Themes and Case Studies

Teaching Practice & Pedagogy

Enhancing learning for chemistry students through evidence and innovation in teaching and assessment

Technology in Chemistry Education

Teaching technology and technology for teaching

Enhancing Laboratory Teaching

Innovating lab learning for the next generation of experimental and computational chemists

Inclusive Teaching and Educational Transitions

Building an inclusive chemistry education for all

Outreach and public engagement

Showcasing the impact of chemistry on society

Sustainability

Embedding sustainability into the foundations of chemistry teaching and learning

Our Theme Leads

Activities within the Themes are coordinated by our Theme Leads.

The Theme Leads provide strategic and operational leadership for a defined thematic area within the Centre. They are responsible for driving excellence and coordinating expertise in activities in this area, fostering collaboration, and ensuring alignment with the Centre’s overall goals.

All Case Studies

Lab-in-a-Box: Enabling Remote Hands-On Practical Chemistry Learning

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London launched the Lab-in-a-Box initiative to ensure continuity in practical chemistry education.

Chemical Kitchen: Reimagining Laboratory Education Through Gastronomy

Chemical Kitchen is a pioneering educational initiative that reimagines laboratory instruction by drawing parallels between professional gastronomy and scientific practice.

Imperial on Tour

Dr Fenech-Salerno and Dr Singh represented the department at the inaugural Imperial on Tour series in 2025 giving engaging taster lectures

Cooling Without Waste: Introducing Air Condensers to Undergraduate Chemistry Teaching Labs

Switching from traditional water-cooled condensers to air-cooled ones dramatically reduced water waste in the undergraduate chemistry teaching labs.

Joining the Chemunity

A student partnership project to support transition into university.

Students Build their Own Spectrophotometers in the Lab to Understand the Workings behind the Machines

Using simple optical components, a Raspberry Pi microcomputer, and Python programming, and Lego, students designed, built, and operated visible light spectrometers.