Leanne Williams
Published: 29 May 2024
Meet Leanne Williams, Professor of Bioscience Education and Academic lead for LearnSci
Before working in HE Leanne gained extensive experience in technical, and research-supporting roles working on the C.elegans and Human genome project at the Sanger Institute. This was followed followed by a senior research assistant position in a Type 2 diabetes, electrophysiology research group at The University of Cambridge Biochemistry Department. To pursue a passion for working with people and second chance education Leanne gained a PGCE at the University of Nottingham and taught in an inner city Further Education college for many years, specialising in teaching adult returners including asylum seekers. Leanne then left further education to return to education and gained a PhD in aquaporin expression in mammalian ovarian follicle development, at the University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Science and Medicine.
After a short post-doc; in 2012 she started as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Warwick, School of Life Sciences. Within two years Leanne’s teaching philosophy born from her experiences in FE with a focus on identifying and minimising transitional barriers, provided a framework for institutional recognition winning the Warwick Award for teaching excellence. Leanne also re-established the focus of lab practicals to prioritise technical skills acquisition and independent problem solving rather than linear ‘recipe-led science’. As Senior Tutor and Director of student wellbeing, Leanne affected cultural change by placing student wellbeing and representation at the front and centre of curriculum development, provision and support. The impact was again recognised with the Warwick Award for Personal Tutor Excellence.
Leanne continues to lecture at Warwick, whilst also being full-time Academic lead for LearnSci. After several years working with LearnSci on their advisory panel, Leanne took the exciting step to work more closely with the team in recognition of their progressive and innovative support of technical and analytical skills, and the vast potential for edtech in this exciting new era of AI to add value and equity of opportunity for both learners and practitioners.
First published: 29 May 2024
Dates: 2nd to 4th October 2024 at the Advanced Research Centre and online
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