What course do you teach on and what is your role?
I am the Teaching Fellow on the MSc Reproductive and Developmental Biology. This means my primary focus is producing and delivering the teaching on the course, while also being part of the course team to build and develop the MSc. Additional roles also include acting as a personal tutor and co-supervising research projects.
How has your career led you to teach?
After completing my MSc, I went on to work as a Teaching Technician which involved the teaching of MSc laboratory practicals and supporting student research projects. Additionally, I started my lecturing career, producing and delivering lectures to students on both BSc and MSc courses. This role provided me with the interest to develop as a University Teacher, so I undertook a PhD and achieved a Fellowship in Higher Education Award (FHEA) before moving on to my current role.
What aspect of the course do you enjoy teaching the most?
Now this is a hard question, as so much of content I teach is vastly interesting to me. However, I mostly enjoy teaching sessions that look at how the science we research and the data we produce translates to the people impacted - I believe it is extremely important to always think about how the biology fits into the public perspective of science when doing research or learning about the science. In addition to this, the workshops we run where students can really engage with the topic and what they have learned are always a pleasure, as I get to see the student's point of view and their personal creativity shine through.
What do you hope your students will go on to achieve on completion of this course?
Our course focuses heavily on the development of research and professional skills that would be transferable to a number of scientific careers (and even beyond science) such as clinical embryology, PhD, science communication etc. My hope is that the students leave the course with a greater understanding of what career path they want to take, alongside a plethora of new skills that equipped them to undertake that career. Across my time on the course, I have observed all the students develop academically, professionally and personally to become scientists and this is the same trajectory I hope for all the students that complete the course.
What is your favorite part about teaching at Imperial College London?
It is a pleasure to work with a variety of leaders in their profession, as well as always meeting the most gifted students. Imperial is a melting pot of potential and ambition, and teaching in that kind of environment is inspiring for my teaching practice. I am extremely grateful to work with a team of teachers with the shared aspiration to see students achieve the best possible outcome from our courses.